YEAR2:Rose Weasley and the League of Dragon Riders
by Alissie
Summary: Rose Weasley is back at Hogwarts for her second year! She will face duels, dilemmas, but most of all, dragons. But what will happen when the dragons begin lashing out at the Riders?And who will believe Rose's warnings with only her locket leading the way?
1. Chapter 1

Rose Weasley's mouth filled with ink.

Wincing, she searched for a handkerchief or scrap of cloth—anything to remove the horrible metallic taste from her mouth. All she could find was a ripped corner of parchment that had fallen by her bed. It would have to do.

Her tawny owl cooed at her from across the room. "Hush, Selena," said Rose, blotting at her tongue. "I'll feed you in a minute."

With one last coo, Selena went back to sleep.

Rose glared at her quill. She had sucked on the tip of it, forgetting that it wasn't a sugar quill. Now it lay on her partially-finished letter, slowly pooling ink on the parchment.

Before it could do more damage, Rose picked the quill up, dipped it in the open inkwell by her bed, and continued the letter.

_Sorry about the ink. Blame Selena, my owl. Did you ever meet her? I don't think you did._

_Anyway, we all miss you and hope to hear back soon._

_Happy July!_

She signed the letter with a sigh and set it down to dry. Part of her wondered why she even bothered to send letters anymore. It had been a full month, and she had yet to hear from Dmitri Romolov.

Her door burst open as she finished folding the letter. Rose jumped, and her elbow slammed into her side table. The half-full inkwell toppled to the floor.

"Whoops," said the taller of the two boys now standing in Rose's doorway. "Sorry, Rose. Let me get that—"

The smaller boy grabbed his arm. "No magic outside of school, James," he reminded his older brother wearily.

"Right, Al." James pocketed his wand. "Stupid Underage Wizarding laws."

"Stupid underage wizard," countered Rose. "G'morning, James, Albus."

"Happy birthday!" said Albus, slipping a small wrapped box onto Rose's desk. "We're doing presents with the parents later."

Rose slid her eyes to the package he had brought, then back to him.

"Later," he mouthed as James knelt by the bed.

"Ah, it was almost empty anyway," he lied, picking up the inkwell. "Your mum can get it off the floor in an instant."

"James?"

The three of them froze.

"Bloody hell, she's good," whispered James. "How'd she do that?"

"He's coming!" Albus called back down to Hermione, who had summoned James. "You'd better go, James. It's chopping carrots for you."

James grumbled as he left the room. Albus closed the door and scooped up the package from the desk.

"It's from Scorpius," he explained, handing it to Rose. "He sent it to my place yesterday. Didn't want Uncle Ron blowing it up, I suppose."

Rose took the parcel from him and began to unwrap it. The first thing she saw was Scorpius' sharp letters on the parchment. But that slid aside to reveal—"

"Bloody hell," breathed Albus. "Is that-?"

The parcel was unmistakable. Scorpius Malfoy had sent Rose a phoenix feather.

"It's beautiful," said Rose softly, lifting it from the paper carefully. "Where did he get it?"

"Check the letter," said Albus.

_Rose,_ it read.

_Happy birthday! I sent this through Al so your dad wouldn't see it. I still can't believe they had a row the middle of Hogsmeade. Awful, eh?_

_So I know you like phoenixes, and I saw this while I was out with Mum and asked if I could get it. I don't think she knew it was for you, but oh well. The shopkeeper said it makes you more clear-sighted—not like you need that, right?_

_Send old Selena over when you and Al get your school letters. We'll meet up on Diagon Alley. Nothing our dads can do about that, eh?_

_Happy Birthday!_

_Scorpius Malfoy_

"I love it," said Rose, setting the letter down. "So, is Mum cooking already? It smells wonderful."

"Waffles," said Albus grinned. "Your favorite."

"And yours," said Rose, laughing. "Come on, let me get ready. I'll meet you down there in a minute."

Albus his eyes fell on the letter Rose had left on her bedside table. "Still no reply?" He said as Rose grabbed it, covering Dmitri's name. "Rose, it's been a month."

"I'm starting to get worried," she said wearily. "What if something happened to him? What if - -"

"Alistair did not hunt him down," said Albus firmly. "Remember? He said he didn't want Dmitri dead."

"Maybe he changed his mind," said Rose. "Maybe... I mean, he killed Rafael. What's to say he won't go after his brother?"

"That's was during the tournament," Albus reminded her. "It's like Dad said. The tournament, it changes people."

Rosalie sighed. The Triwizard Tournament had been a harrowing experience, especially with the death of Rafael Romolov. His younger brother, Dmitri, had appeared to be Alistair Trimble's next target.

"James told me last week that he still has nightmares about it," Albus confided in Rose. "Seeing Rafael's body after they cut him free... It must've been awful."

"I can't even imagine it," said Rose with a shiver.

Before they could continue with the unhappy topic, Hermione's voice echoed up the stairs.

"Al?" she called.

"Yes, Aunt Hermione?"

"Be a dear and come help your brother? He doesn't understand what he's doing."

James was certainly up to his usual mischief in the kitchen. Rolling his eyes, Albus stood.

"Come and save me as soon as you can," he whispered. "I'm no good with cooking."

"You'll do fine," said Rose reassuringly as Albus left. With a sigh, she slid her legs over the side of the bed and stood.

"I'm coming," she told her owl. "I'm coming."

She gave the letter to Selena and looked her directly in the eyes. "Get this to Dmitri," she said clearly, enunciated each word carefully. "Durmstrang Academy. Dmitri Romolov."

Selena cooed, the sound distorted by the letter in her beak. Rose opened the window, and out Selena flew.

Rose had always loved the view from her room. She had a clear shot of the back of her family's property, the property that stretched onto the Grange. Today, the sun shone down onto the vibrant green grass, which nearly sparkled in the intense light.

She dressed quickly, choosing a dress her grandmum had made her the previous year. She only wore one piece of jewelry- the Prewett locket, a family heirloom that had helped her save Rafael's life last year.

Well, save it for a while, at least.

Rose refused to continue thinking about the previous year. It was her twelfth birthday, and she fully intended to enjoy it.

Down in the kitchen, Hermione had James and Albus working on food for later that day. Rose's mum was flicking her wand at waffles, which flew onto the plates that floated around the room.

"Rose," she said warmly upon seeing her daughter. Rose rushed to hug her mother. "Rosie, are you really twelve?"

"Yes, mum," said Rose with a grin. "Is it really that hard to believe?"

"You're just so grown up," sighed Hermione, smoothing down Rose's hair. "When I was your age- well, let's just be thankful that you're not up to what I was at your age. Are you alright, dear?"

Albus had turned his laughter into a coughing fit. If Hermione only knew what Rose had been up to her first year….

"He's fine," said James, thwacking his brother on the back. "I'm done with the carrots."

"Then you should go with Rose and your brother," said Hermione, straightening her apron. "I'm sure the twins are around here somewhere. Oh, Rose, Hugo was looking for you earlier."

Rose nodded and pulled Albus away from the potatoes he was chopping. "C'mon," she said. "Let's go say hello to Aunt Luna."

This seemed to cheer Albus up. He was a favourite of Luna's. James, on the other hand, was deemed "too serious," which seemed ironic to Rose.

A small body tackled Rose as she stepped through the back door. Her assailant laughed as she stumbled, nearly falling into Albus.

"Happy Birthday, Rose!" said Hugo Weasley enthusiastically. He was two years younger than his sister, and bore the fiery red hair that marked him as a Weasley.

Rose hugged her younger brother for a moment, then patted his head. "We're going to find the twins," she told him. "D'you want to come along?"

He shook his head. "I'm gonna go find Lily," he said eagerly. "We're gonna fly for a bit."

"I can't believe he and your sister still have a year to go before they come to Hogwarts," said Rose as Hugo scampered off.

Lily Potter and Hugo were attached at the hip. All of the letters Hugo had written to Rose the previous year had begun, "Me and Lily.…" Both of their dearest wishes were to go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Nothing we can do," said James, unconcerned. "C'mon. I bet the twins are out on the Grange already."

The Grange was a large expanse of grass that stretched between the Potter, Weasley, Scamander, and Longbottom houses. Following the war, the young heroes had attempted to live apart, but the separation was painful after the bonds they had forged during the battle. Their solution was to live in a large circle with an enormous communal backyard between them.

"Stop," said James suddenly, throwing a hand out. The other hand went into his pocket as he drew out his wand."

"James-"

"Shhh," he whispered.

Albus tapped Rose's arm, then pointed to a mound of grass. But on second look Rose realised it wasn't grass.

It was a body.

Just as Rose realised this, the body began to move. It was Lorcan, wearing a grass-covered robe over a green sweater and slacks.

"Good morning," he said pleasantly, apparently oblivious to the streaks of dirt on his face. "James, are you doing magic outside of school again?"

James stuck his wand back in his pocket. "Nice robe," he said almost mockingly. "What's the occasion?"

"Lysander and I were playing chess," said Lorcan. Rose waited, but it became apparent that Lorcan had finished explaining.

At that moment, Rose noticed a figure approaching them by air. It was Lysander, holding a large box in one hand and his broomstick handle in the other.

"If you can fly like that," said James as Lysander landed, "_why_ don't you play Quidditch? We could use you on the team."

"I don't like the game," said Lysander simply. "Happy Birthday, Rose. Mum sent biscuits to eat until breakfast is ready."

"Biscuits for breakfast," sighed James with the air of a contented cat. "I love your mum."

They sat on the grass and began to eat.

"Lorcan," said Rose, "what exactly were you doing out here?"

He had shed his grassy robe, but his face was still streaked with dirt, as were his arms.

"Mum heard that if you take someone's queen and enter checkmate exactly on the hour, you'll win riches beyond belief." Lorcan nodded with a smile.

"So we've been out here all night," said Lysander wearily. "Nothing so far."

Rose exchanged a look with Albus, who was also barely containing laughter. "That sounds...er…fun," she said. "Trying again tonight?"

"After the party," said Lorcan. "You can join us if you want to."

"We'll pass, mate," said James, speaking for the group. "Thanks for the offer, though."

Hermione soon summoned them back to the house. "Have you been eating biscuits?" she said suspiciously.

"Nope," said James, sliding past her into the kitchen. "Smells great!"

Hermione looked to Albus. He was always a bad liar. His cheeks turned pink as he ducked into the kitchen.

They settled around the large table in the dining room. "Your father should be home soon," Hermione told Rose as she sent waffled onto everyone's plate. "There was a bit of an incident at the Japan versus Malaysia game. Wait- look I think he's coming."

Rose turned and looked at the map behind her. It was an enormous piece that stretched across the entire wall. Tiny dots were on it- mainly in one spot, but there was another in the outline in Japan.

James tapped Japan twice with his wand. "It doesn't count as magic," he told Albus, who was giving his a reproachful look. "It's enchanted."

Japan grew larger until it encompassed the whole wall. The miniature head of Ron Weasley was moving around- then, abruptly, it disappeared.

"I'm home!" a voice called from the kitchen. "Where's my little Rosie?"

"We're in here, Ron," replied Hermione.

Ron swept into the room with a grin. "Here's the birthday girl," he said, swooping to kiss Rose's forehead. "Happy Birthday, Rosie."

"Morning, Dad," she said. "Mum made waffles."

"Of course she did," he said, slipping around the table to kiss Hermione. James rolled his eyes, but Rose thought it was sweet. Her parents still seemed to be in the same puppy-love state as Victoire and Teddy Lupin.

Breakfast was a relaxed affair. Ron entertained the table with recounting the events of the game he had been to. Rose turned him out; she didn't care about the Keeper on the Japanese team using performance-enhancing herbs.

"It's going to be this huge scandal," said Ron, summoning another waffle. "Investigations, inquiries, everything."

Everyone except Rose and Hermione jumped as a shrill ringing noise came from the kitchen. Hermione rose and ran to get it.

"You think you'd be used to the telephone by now," said Rose. "Lorcan, Lysander, your mum has one too."

"Hers never rings," said Lorcan. "It just sits there-"

"-until she decides to see if it still works and calls _your_ mum," finished Lysander.

Hermione reentered with a scowl. "That was Luna," she said. "She wanted to know if her boys were here, and how you all liked your biscuits."

James laughed. It was his defense mechanism- laugh when it looks like someone's mad at him. "They were very good," he said smoothly, "but your waffles are phenomenal. Are there more?"

"Right in front of you" said Hermione with a half-smile. "I hope your parents realize what a suck-up you are."

"They know," said James, feigning glumness as he took out his wand. "They say-"

"No magic out of school, James!" said Lysander as James went to summon another waffle.

"Oh. That. Yeah. Pass me a waffle, then?"

Albus looked at Rose and rolled his eyes. "He'll learn," he muttered. "It's better than last year."

The previous summer, James had come precariously close to showing Rose's Muggle grandparents a spell he had just learned. Albus and Rose had walked in at just the right moment, an instant before he broke the Ordinance for Underage Wizards. Yes, this year was an improvement indeed….

The rest of the afternoon flew by. Rose, Albus, James, and the twins went back out to the Grange, where they lounged around, just talking. Cousins, aunts, and uncles filtered through the area. Some came on foot, while others flashed by overhead on broomsticks.

"Hugo and Lily are racing again," said James as the two passed overhead. "Nothing new there. It'll be great to have them on the team next year."

"It'll be a family affair, all right," said Lysander. "You, Al, Louis, Dominique, and these two… who am I missing?"

"Either a Beater or a Chaser, depending on what Hugo plays," said James. "Rose, are you-"

"Not going to happen," said Rose before he could get the words out. "I don't play. You know that."

"It's your birthday, so I'll drop it," said James haughtily, "but when tryouts roll around, you'll see just how persuasive I can be."

Tables and chairs set themselves up as a row of overflowing dishes followed Hermione outside. "It's almost time to eat," she said. "Lorcan, Lysander, could you run home and fetch your parents? Luna's not answering her telephone."

"I'll get them," volunteered Lysander, hopping on the broom he still held.

Family and friends congregated as Hermione set up the tables. The surprise came with the appearance of one of Rose's uncles.

"Uncle Charlie!" she cried as he swooped in for a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Look how tall you've gotten," he marveled. "It must've been years…. I'm here for the year, Rosie. Isn't that something great?"

"But what about your dragons?" she asked. Charlie was a dragon expert and lived in Romania with his other dragon friends. For him to leave it all for a year was monumental.

"They're in the capable hands of my colleagues," said Charlie, "don't worry."

They all settled around the long table. Rose ended up opposite her father, who was recounting the story of the Japanese Keeper to Louis Weasley, who was near Fleur and Bill Weasley, his parents.

"Those herbal enhancers hardly ever work, anyway," said Uncle Bill dismissively. "And they leave the most awful stench. You don't need a nose like mine to sniff that junk out."

"It was pretty noticeable," said Ron, "but we think he took too much. He was tested because his form was all sorts of awful. I have to write up a formal report tomorrow morning." He made a face. "I hate reports."

The food Hermione had prepared was delicious. As usual, Luna had been delegated the task of baking a birthday cake.

"I like this one," she said, summoning it from her house. "I took Rose and made her into a cake."

It was a pretty apt description. The cake was a mirror of Rose's head, a three-dimensional bust of her. Red icing served as Rose's wavy hair, and her brown eyes twinkled with sparkles.

"I was going to do something with fire," said Luna, "but the Jellywinks got to it before I did. I had to do this one this morning and keep a strict eye on it."

"I'm glad the… er… Jellywinks didn't get to it," said Hermione gracefully. "It's lovely."

Rose ended up with her right ear and a bit of hair. Albus chuckled as she made a face, biting into her ear.

"Just a bit off, it is," she decided.

"But delicious," added Albus, taking a bite of Rose's nose.

Presents were given after the cake was devoured. Albus gave Rose a book titled _Famous Female Fliers_, which earned him a kick under the table.

"Lighten up," he said with a grin. "C'mon, just read it."

James' present was another book: _Emerald: The Year of the Scar._

"Lysander told me you were interested in the book last year," he said when Rose gave him a confused look.

Lysander groaned. "She was interested in why _I_ was reading the book," he clarified, "not in the book itself."

"It's great, James," said Rose when James frowned. "Really. I don't think we have this one in our library."

The other presents piled up before her. Uncle George had given her an obscene amount of sweets, as usual. Uncle Charlie then presented Rose with a book on dragons.

"Read it," he said with a mysterious look in his eyes. "It's quite…informative."

The party began to wind down as darkness fell. Hermione and Aunt Ginny lit some hanging lanterns to provide some light to the partygoers.

"Hagrid sends his regards," Uncle Harry told Rose. By this time, it was completely dark. "He's in France for the summer with Madame Maxime, but he says he has a present for you when he returns."

"Thanks," said Rose. She didn't mind Hagrid's absence; she knew he was happy in France with his wife.

Hermione stood a few minutes later. "We've all had a great time," she said, "but I do believe it's getting late."

Rose looked around and realised it was true. Lily and Hugo were dozing off in their seats. Rose found herself yawning as she regarded the rest of the scene. There were two people missing: Lorcan and Lysander.

She gestured for Albus to follow her. She stood and slunk away from the table with Albus right behind her.

"Where are we going?" asked Albus.

Rose shushed him. "We're playing a game," she explained quietly. "Do you remember what Lorcan and Lysander said this morning? About chess?"

The twins were, as Rose had suspected, out under the stars playing wizards chess. There seemed to be a heated battle taking place between Lorcan's knight and one of Lysander's castles.

Rose and Albus ducked behind a large bush.

"Wait for it," said Rose, her voice barely above a whisper. "Lorcan said he was sure it would happen tonight." Though whether that was due to Lorcan's magical foresight or his determination, she was not sure.

Only a few minutes later, Lorcan jumped to his feet. "Checkmate!" he cried as they all heard Hermione say, "Where did they go? It's midnight!"

Rose reached into her dress pocket, where she had put a bag of trick Galleons that Uncle George had given her. She gave a handful to Albus, then began tossing them onto the field before her.

Lorcan began to spin around, his head tilted back in joy. "It's raining Galleons!" he half-sung. "Mum was right! Lysander!"

Lysander had immediately stood and looked to the obvious source of the rain. Rose grinned and began to laugh. Albus continued tossing the coins onto the field until his pile ran dry.

"I'll help clean up," said Lysander, barely containing laughter as his twin fell to his knees and began collecting the coins.

Lying in bed that night, Rose recalled Lorcan's joyful expression with a grin. It was hard not to be happy around the twins, who seemed at times to be polar opposites.

Unfortunately, there still was the matter of Dmitri and the stack of unanswered letters Rose had sent him over the course of the month. Selena had always come back without a reply….

Rose wondered if Dmitri was ignoring her for some reason. But no, because he wasn't replying to any of Albus' letters either.

She fell asleep still wondering about Dmitri. Her dreams were full of owls, caves, and Alistair Trimble.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Uncle Harry stopped by during breakfast.

"I'm heading out," he told Ron and Hermione. "Ginny's all set with the children. If anything happens-"

"Nothing is going to happen, mate," said Ron reassuringly.

"But if it does," continued Uncle Harry, "you both know how to reach me."

Hermione gave him a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Have fun…er… well, be safe," she amended, seeing Harry's expression. "We'll see you in a week."

Ever since Rose could remember, her Uncle Harry disappeared for the last week of July. He never said where he was going, just stopped by to pay her parents a farewell visit.

Rose recalled asking once where her uncle disappeared to.

"Everyone needs a bit to themselves," he mother had replied. "It's good for him that he takes it."

Now Rose waved as Harry exited. By her side, Hugo was inhaling his oatmeal at a dangerous speed.

"You're going to choke," reprimanded Rose. "Slow down."

Hugo made a face at his sister.

"Rose is right," said Hermione, "slow down. What's the rush? Your food isn't going anywhere."

Hugo swallowed. "Lily and I are going flying," he explained. "Wanna come, Rose?"

"No thanks," said Rose, wondering why her brother always asked. Didn't he remember that she never flies?

"I think I'm going to see what Albus and James are up to," she continued. "May I be excused?"

"You may," said Hermione. "Tell your Aunt Ginny we say hello."

Rose found James and Albus crossing the Grange. As she approached, she realised that they were having an argument.

"You won't _believe_ what this dolt has gone and done," huffed Albus. "Tell her."

"Good morning to you, too," said Rose, taken aback., "James, what did you do now?"

"Why is it always, 'James, what did you do now'?" asked James with a scowl. " 'James, what did you blow up this time?' ; 'James-' "

"James," repeated Rose, "did you do something or not?"

Grinning, James reached into his pocket. "So Dad left this morning," he said. "While Mum was busy saying goodbye to him-"

"They were snogging in front of the house," explained Albus matter-of-factly.

"-I went into his study and got this."

James pulled out a folded square of parchment. Rose stared at it blankly, then something in her mind clicked.

"Is that the Marauders' Map?" she gasped, taking it from James. There was only one way to check. She pulled out her wand, put the tip to the parchment-

And froze.

"That was _my_ question," said Albus. "James was all for trying to open it, but wouldn't that count as magic?"

"I… I don't _think_ so," said Rose uncertainly. "I mean, it would only be activating a charm on the parchment, right?"

Albus nodded, and James shrugged.

"But on the other hand," said Rose, weighing the risks, "it involves your wand…."

"I bet Aunt Hermione would know," said James eagerly. "C'mon, let's go ask her!"

Albus just stared at his brother for a moment. "Do you think before you speak," he wanted to know, "or does it all just kind of… come out?"

"We can't ask my mum," said Rose when it was clear that James was not understanding. "She'll know you nicked it from your dad."

"Oh."

Rose put her wand away reluctantly. "We'll have to ask Uncle George," she said with a sigh. "James, I still can't believe you took it!"

He shrugged casually. "Ah, it was nothing. Besides, just think of everything we can do now!"

It was an interesting idea, but Rose had to push it out of her mind. "I don't know," she said, but then the temptation returned. With the map, she could sneak into the library at any hour, read any book she chose….

James chuckled. "Oh, you know you want to use it," he teased. "You can't scold me."

"I can try," sighed Rose. "I can only try."

Harry returned seven days later, looking rather fatigued. He passed the breakfast table with a weary wave before heading upstairs.

"He looks exhausted," remarked Rose, who had been invited to breakfast.

"He'll be fine," Ginny reassured her before going upstairs.

Lily poured herself some orange juice. "Don't worry," she told Rose, "he looks like that every year. He'll rest for a bit, then he's fine."

A tapping at the window made them all turn. Two owls sat on the window ledge, each holding two or three letters in their beaks.

"Hogwarts letters!" cried Rose, leaping to her feet. She let the owls in and took their letters. "Here you go, Albus, James."

She ripped her envelope open and skimmed through the letter. There was nothing unusual on the list, save for one book. _The Monster Book of Monsters, Third Edition_.

"Why do we need the Monster Book of Monsters?" Albus asked before Rose had the chance. "Isn't that for Care of Magical Creatures class?"

"I've got one too," said James, "but I'm taking that class. You two are too young."

"We _know_ that, James," said Rose exasperatedly. "We go to Hogwarts too."

James made a face as Albus laughed. Lily giggled, then grabbed James' letter.

"I want one," she sighed, running her fingers over the embossed Hogwarts logo. "Now, not next year."

"You just have to wait," said Albus patiently. "Until then, practice with Mum."

Later that day, Rose walked in on Albus writing a letter.

"I talked to Mum," he told her. "We're going over to Diagon Alley the day after tomorrow. I'm writing to Scorpius so we can meet up. Where d'you think would be good?"

"You need new robes," Rose reminded him. Albus had shot up like a bean sprout since April. "I bet Scorpius does too. Why not Madame Malkin's?"

"Madame… Malkin's," said Albus, writing it down. "Sounds good to me."

Albus sent the letter out with his owl and received a positive reply the next morning. One day later, the children gathered in front of Rose's large fireplace.

"Now, you all know the plan," said Hermione. "Say it clearly, now. Diagon Alley."

"Diagon Alley," the children repeated. Rose did it with an internal sigh. They did the repeat-after-me exercise each year before travelling via Floo Powder to Diagon Alley for shopping.

Rose was the first to go through after her mother. She emerged from one of the travel ports located on the side of Gringotts Wizarding Bank, brushing her violet robe off. It had only gathered a few specks of green ash, thankfully.

Hugo came out next, followed by Lily, Albus, James, and Aunt Ginny.

Rose glanced up at the large clock. It was already nearly noon, the time Albus and Scorpius had agreed upon for meeting at the robe shop.

"C'mon, Al," she said, tugging on his arm. "Mum, Aunt Ginny, Albus and I are going to head off for a bit," she said, already backing away.

Hermione looked like she was going to object, but Hugo and Lily chose that moment to dart across the street to a candy shop. Rose and Albus were able to slip off before their mothers could process their disappearance.

Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions was near the end of Diagon Alley. Rose and Albus slipped through the doors as the clock struck twelve.

A tall, frail woman stood by the rows of fabric samples. Rose recognized her instantly as Scorpius' mother.

"Good morning, Mrs. Malfoy," greeted Rose, a bit hesitant.

The woman smiled. "Please, call me Astoria," she said. "Dear, I must apologize for my husband's actions."

"I should be apologizing for my father," said Rose earnestly. "I still can't believe he started a row in the middle of Carmina's."

"Men," scoffed Astoria good-naturedly. She lowered her voice a bit, then said, "Would your mother object terribly to tea sometime? There's no use in our arguing if you and Scorpius are to be friends."

"I think she'd like that," said Rose. There was finally a flicker of hope—maybe all of the parents could learn to get along after all.

Astoria smiled, and her vibrant eyes seemed genuinely happy. "Scorpius is just through there," she said, pointing towards one of the measuring rooms.

Rose thanked her, then entered the room she had pointed out. Albus was already inside, standing on one of the low platforms used for measuring. On the platform next to him stood Scorpius Malfoy.

"They had a huge row afterwards," Scorpius was telling Albus. "Mum thought that he should have tried a bit harder. Dad didn't want to take responsibility for any of it."

"Your mum seems nice enough," remarked Albus.

They both turned when Rose closed the door.

"Morning, Scorpius," said Rose with a grin. "I was just talking with your mother."

"Al and I were talking about our parents," said Scorpius. "What a mess, eh?"

"Completely." She sat on one of the plush armchairs sprinkled throughout the room. "I think your mum's going to try again, though. She asked about having tea with Mum and Aunt Ginny."

Scorpius laughed, and Rose relaxed into her chair. It was a relief to pick up right where they had left off with Scorpius. Letters were one thing, but she was glad that their reunion had not been awkward.

Madame Malkin entered, her arms laden with bolts of fabric. "Now, then, Mister Malfoy—" she began before looking up. She froze, and the topmost bolt of fabric began to slide.

Rose had to stifle laughter as the woman leapt back into motion. Madame Malkin's glasses were sliding down her small nose.

"Mister Potter!" she cried, juggling the bolts of fabric over to a table. "I did not see you enter. Welcome."

Rose coughed into her handkerchief, using it to mask her laughter. Madame Malkin was not the first to notice the boys' uncanny resemblance to their fathers. Professor Flitwick often had the same reaction to the two.

Scorpius got measured for plain black robes for school. "Should I get new dress robes?" he asked, looking at some hanging samples. "I don't reckon we'll need them this year…."

"I'm not going to bother," said Albus. Madame Malkin's enchanted measuring tape whipped around his skull. "I mean, what would we use them for?"

Rose roamed around the shop as the boys talked. There were robes of all colours and styles hanging in the air—school robes, Ministry robes, dress robes, and more. Under a sign reading "Special Orders" hung a robe that looked to be trimmed with phoenix feathers.

That reminded her—"Scorpius," she said, "your birthday present was… amazing. Where did you get it?"

He shrugged. "I was out with my mum and thought it was something you'd appreciate. I hear you can do all sorts of magic with it."

"I'll have to look it up," said Rose. The truth was, she had already raided her mother's library. There was a stack of books on phoenix lore and magic sitting in her room, waiting for her to return and delve into them—a task she greatly anticipated.

Madame Malkin returned and grabbed her tape measure, which had been taking the length of Albus' fingers.

"Come back in an hour or so," she said, forcing the overeager tape measure into a drawstring bag, an act that it fought vigorously. "Your robes will be ready by then."

Rose, Albus, and Scorpius returned to the waiting area of the shop. Astoria had settled into a straight-backed chair and was reading a small book. She closed it as her son entered.

"Finished?" she asked, rising.

"I have to pick them up in an hour," said Scorpius. "Is it alright if I go around with Al and Rose for a bit? We'll be back in time to pick them up."

Astoria smiled and returned to her seat. "That sounds lovely," she said, a twinkle in her eye, "but let's not tell your father where you're off to just yet, alright?"

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "He's working," he said bitterly. "He wouldn't notice if I moved _in_ with them."

His mother gave him a reproachful look. "Be back in an hour, dear," she said. "Go on, now. Have fun."

The three of them stepped out into the sunlight and looked around.

"Which way?" asked Scorpius. "I don't really know my way around."

That struck Rose as odd; she had been on the shopping lane since she was able to walk.

"Really?" she said.

"Really," confirmed Scorpius. "Mum used to do all of the shopping. My first time here was last summer."

"Well," said Rose, "this is basically the end of the safe area. Then it starts going down into Knockturn Alley, which we won't be visiting."

As they began to start off in the opposite direction of Knockturn Alley, Rose felt something batting at her foot. She looked down and saw a tiny black kitten staring up at her with bright green eyes.

"Al, this kitten has your eyes!" she laughed. "Get off, little girl. My foot is no place for a kitten."

"I wonder whose she is," said Albus as they continued walking. "Most people don't bring their cats down here. It's too crowded."

"Maybe a stray—hey, you!"

The kitten had caught up with the group and lunged back onto Rose's foot. She looked up, meowed once, then began to whack the bottom hem of Rose's robe with a paw.

"I think she likes you," laughed Scorpius. "Is she wearing a collar?"

Rose scooped up the small kitten and checked around her neck. "No, she's not," she said, beginning to worry. "Maybe she _is_ a stray."

"Well, she seems to like you," remarked Albus. "Would Aunt Hermione let you keep her?"

Rose thought for a moment. "Well, she used to have a cat," she said. "Maybe I could leave her at home—I need to bring Selena with me to Hogwarts."

"I'm sure you could sneak both of them in," said Scorpius casually. "Just bring this little girl in, then have your parents send Selena with a letter the next day."

"I'll ask Mum," Rose decided. She didn't; fancy the idea of sneaking a pet into the castle, but the kitten _was_ growing on her….

"What're you naming her?" asked Albus.

"I think… Mina," said Rose. "Does that fit her? Does she look like a Mina to you?"

"I think she does," said Albus.

"Meh," said Scorpius. When Rose shot him a glare, he shrugged. "What? I've never had to name anything before."

"What about your owl?" asked Rose.

"Despina? Mum named her."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Mina it is, then," she said. Looking into her kitten's startling eyes, she said, "Mina, will you follow if I put you down?"

Mina meowed loudly.

"I reckon that's a yes," said Albus. "C'mon, then. I want to visit Risputa's before we go pick up the robes."

Rose set Mina down. The kitten looked up with another meow, then began to trot away.

"I'm following the cat," said Scorpius. "She seems to know her way around."

Mina stayed close to Rose's side. If she was feeling particularly difficult, as Rose saw it, she would weave between Rose's feet as Rose walked.

When they reached Risputa's Quidditch Emporium, Mina swished her tail as if waving a victory flag. She glanced up at Rose, then darted through the open door.

"Your cat likes Quidditch more than you do," remarked Scorpius as they entered the shop. "C'mon, Rose, one game—"

"Not a chance, Scorpius. Not a chance."

A tall, lean boy Rose vaguely remembered from the common room stopped Albus. "You're James' brother, aren't you?" he said. "Albus, right?"

Albus nodded, immediately shy. He hated statements that began _you're James' brother, right?_.

"Cameron Thornton," said that tall boy, holding out his hand. Albus shook it tentatively. "I'm captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team this year."

There was a visible change in Albus. He stood up straighter, squaring his shoulders and raising his chin. Even Scorpius changed his posture; he stopped leaning on the wall and stood alert. It was a respect that Rose supposed she just couldn't understand.

"James has told me about you," said Cameron. "Do you plan to try out for the team this year?"

Rose knew Albus would like nothing better than to be a Gryffindor Chaser.

"Yes!" he blurted out. "I mean—yeah, I'm going to tryouts."

Cameron nodded. "Good. I look forward to seeing you there." His eyes moved to Rose. "And you're… a Weasley?"

Before Rose was forced to answer, Mina leapt onto Cameron's foot.

"Mina!" cried Rose, kneeling to remove her. "I am so sorry, I'm sure she didn't mean it—"

"Not a problem," Cameron assured her. "Albus, it was great to meet you. And you… you're the one that James was trying to hex last year, right?" His eyes had landed on Scorpius.

"That would be me," confirmed Scorpius, not looking away.

Cameron looked him over for a moment. "You're a flier," he said. It was not a question. "Lisatt will probably get you on the team. Shame…."

Another boy Rose recognized from Gryffindor called Cameron away. He nodded to Albus before turning and walking across the room.

Rose stuck by the door while the boys shopped for a bit. Mina continued to weave around her feet. It was apparently not as much fun as doing it while Rose moved; Mina soon decided to explore the shop instead.

When Albus and Scorpius were done in the Quidditch shop, they moved on to the Apothecary.

"I need to refill my Potions kit," Rose told the boys. "There's only so much that the student cabinet can do for you."

As they entered the shop, Scorpius groaned. "Don't look, don't—ah, they looked."

Rose scanned the shop. There were plenty of people in it—students restocking their packs like she was, no doubt—but two burly boys off to the side stood out to her.

"They're in my house," explained Scorpius, not looking back at the boys. "The big bully types. Tobias Krimp and Taye Baena."

"Do you not get on well?" asked Rose.

Scorpius shook his head. "They're alright, I guess."

"Then why don't you…." Rose began. Then something clicked in her head. "Scorpius, do you not want to be seen with us?"

But Scorpius laughed. "Don't be silly, Rose," he said. "Nah, I just don't care for some of the older boys. Some of them can be a bit… old-fashioned, is all. Nothing major."

They dodged Tobias and Taye until they stepped on line to make their purchases. Rose realized while she, Albus, and Scorpius were waiting to pay that the two boys were right behind them.

"Don't be ridiculous," one was saying.

"Ridiculous?" said the other. "Ridiculous is bringing those things to the castle."

Those things? What things? Rose listened harder, fighting to hear the hushed conversation.

"It'll be something, alright…."

Rose strained to hear their next words, but they had stopped talking. Still woefully curious, she paid for her extra-large mushroom caps and left with Albus and Scorpius.

"I should probably get her something to eat," said Rose as Mina looked up at her curiously. "What do cats eat, anyway?"

"Never had one," said Scorpius with a shrug. "Don't they drink milk or something?"

"Let's stop by Flourish and Blotts," said Rose. "They'll probably have books on cats, right?"

Mina pawed at Rose's leg, stretching up vertically.

"Do you want to ride in my bag?" she asked the kitten. "You have to promise not to claw up my mushroom lids."

She scooped Mina up and placed her carefully in her shoulder bag.

"Stay," she said firmly, and Mina gave an agreeable meow.

Flourish and Blotts was crowded with children and parents picking up school books. Rose squeezed her way through the crowd and up a side staircase, to where the shop was less full.

"They keep the less-popular books upstairs," Rose explained to Scorpius as they climbed the narrow staircase. "All of the schoolbooks are down there, but this is my favorite section."

The bookcases were all labeled by what they contained. Rose passed by Magical Remedies and Home and Health. Towards the end of the rows stood a shelf marked Magical Creatures.

"This is as close as they'll get for cats," said Rose. "C'mon, help me look."

She scanned the shelves. _Hippogriffs of Hungary… Grindylows Below…_. She was about to give up on the search when Albus called her over. All the way against the wall, there was a single shelf marked Nonmagical Animals.

"_Curious Cats_," said Rose, reading the title of the book Albus handed to her. "_Care for Cats_…. That sounds about right."

Mina hopped out of Rose's bag as Rose knelt to look at the rest of the books. She rubbed her nose against the lowest row of books, then began hitting one of them with her paw.

"Cut that out," scolded Rose. "Books are not for hitting." She caught Mina and held her firmly. "You hear me, little miss?"

Scorpius laughed. "Do you know how ridiculous you sound right now?" he said, still laughing.

"Hush," Rose snapped.

Albus pulled out the book Mina had been attacking. "She knew it was in the wrong section," he said. "It's a book on Advance Astrology."

"Silly kitten," said Rose, shaking her head.

They returned to the main square of the shop and joined the long, winding line. Up ahead, next to the register, Rose saw her mum standing with a bouncing Lily and Hugo, both of whom clutched oversized lollipops.

"They'll be up through the night now," sighed Rose as she pet Mina.

Scorpius ducked down behind a display table as Hermione finished paying and spotted Rose and Albus.

"I'm glad I found you," she said. Her eyes fell on Mina. "And who is your new friend?"

"I named her Mina," said Rose hopefully. "She's a stray."

Hermione raised a brow. "And I suppose you want to take Mina here home?" she guessed.

Rose put on her best angelic smile. "I love you?"

Hugo reached out to pet Mina, and Lily squealed gleefully. Sighing, Hermione regarded her daughter wearily.

"If you still have a hold on her at the end of the day," she said, "then we'll see."

Rose and Albus exchanged a grin.

"Now, I've picked up your schoolbooks," continued Hermione, "but you're in charge of your Potions supplies and your quills and such."

"We'll head out for them after we finish paying here," Rose lied. She had already bought all she needed for Potions at the Apothecary, and her family had given her plenty of writing supplies for her birthday.

Hermione was pulled out of Flourish and Blotts by Lily and Hugo, who were still bouncing like small rubber balls. Once the coast was clear, Scorpius stood up from his hiding space, brushing off his robes.

"Am I going to have to hide every time your parents appear?" he asked wearily. "Not saying I minded or anything."

"But you do," said Albus pointedly.

"Mum seems to be fine with you," said Rose, "but Dad's another story. We'll work something out, don't worry."

"If that plan involves me going in disguise, I'm out," Scorpius warned.

Albus laughed and Rose scowled.

"Fine. You boys have fun," she scoffed. "Mina and I will be fine on our own, right Mina?"

But Mina was preoccupied with trying to catch an invisible piece of lint floating around her face.

"Fine," snapped Rose, "choose their side. It's not like I'm the one taking you home or anything."

Mina turned to Rose, tapped her nose with an oversized paw, then went back to chasing dust particles.

After they made their purchases, Rose, Albus, and Scorpius headed back towards Madame Malkin's. Mina hopped back down to the ground to attempt to trip Rose as the group walked on.

Astoria Malfoy was still in one of the waiting chairs, flipping the page of her book. She looked up as Rose, Albus, and Scorpius entered.

"And just in time," she said. "Scorpius, you may not believe it, but you _just_ missed your grandfather."

Scorpius suddenly seemed uncomfortable. "Which one?" he asked.

"My father, of course," said Astoria with something like a reproachful look. "He said something about wanting to buy you your first legitimate racing broom."

Scorpius' face lit. "Really?"

"We should go to find him," said Astoria. "Madame Malkin had already given me your robes." She patted the boxes next to her.

"Get an Astro Zen," advised Albus quickly. "They still top the Harmoniums for speed."

"I'll try," said Scorpius hopefully, taking one of his robe boxes.

"We'll see you on the train, then," said Rose. "Good luck with your broom, I suppose."

The boys exchanged a glance. It was clear that they thought Rose was missing the entire point of all the excitement.

Scorpius left the shop with his mother as Madame Malkin bustled into the room.

"Perfect, you're back!" she cried upon seeing Albus. "Here you go, dear."

Albus took the flat boxes. "Thank you," he said. Once he had paid, Rose led the way back onto Diagon Alley.

They met up with Hermione and Ginny and headed back to their respective homes. Rose held Mina tightly as they passed through the fireplace. The kitten sneezed upon arrival, but otherwise seemed unphased.

Rose fell into her bed, exhausted. Before she could rest, however, she had to figure out what to feed Mina. She opened the _Curious Cats_ books she had bought—

And out fell a piece of parchment.

She began reading, then did a double-take of the first line.

_Dear Rose_, it read. Shaking slightly, Rose read on.

_Missing you, sweetheart! So sorry for the lack of word. We're off fighting the good fight—ah, you'll see. Until we see you next, this letter will have to suffice. But we __will__ be seeing you, count on it._

_Take care of little Mina for us!_

_Much love,_

_Gemma and Genna_

_PS: She'll eat most anything. She lives for scraps, the little pest._

Rose looked up to see Mina's bright green eyes staring at her. "Do you know the Gemini?" she asked, speaking slowly and clearly, hoping there was some chance Mina would understand.

Mina blinked.

"Ah, I'll deal with this later," sighed Rose, putting the note back in the book. Her head was too muddle to comprehend anything—especially the elusive young twins that popped up when she least expected them.

Mina began to nibble on Rose's bedsheets.

"Oh, no you don't," groaned Rose, lifting Mina off the bed. "Go beg food from Mum. I reckon she has something for you."

With a contented _mrrt_, Mina jumped from Rose's grasp and darted through the open door.

"Crazy cat," Rose muttered to herself. "Crazy Gemini…."

With a yawn, she let her eyes drift shut. There would be time for the Gemini tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

The month of August flew by in a whirlwind of brooms, birthdays, and breakfasts. Lorcan and Lysander's birthday fell on one of the last days before the cousins would all returned Hogwarts.

"I want to play Quidditch," said Lorcan decisively over breakfast.

Rose just stared at him for a moment, wondering if it was a joke. She had thought Lorcan to be one of her only allies against Quidditch.

"I'll play ref with Rose," said Lysander, when his twin asked for his approval. "Try to get Roxanne out of her room to play with us."

"I'll take care of Roxie and Fred," said the twins' mum as she entered the room. Her long blond hair turned out behind her like the train of a wedding dress. Her bright blue eyes were warm and friendly. "Good morning, Rose. How nice of you to join us."

"Good morning Aunt Luna," replied Rose politely.

With a slightly dazed smile, Aunt Luna disappeared with the pop. Rose was not surprised at the sudden disapparation. Luna tended to disappear without finishing a conversation.

"Uncle George and Aunt Angelina are probably still asleep," said Lysander, his voice tinged with worry. "I hope she leaves a note this time..."

"But last year was fun," said Lorcan pointedly.

Rose had to agree with Lysander. On the twins last birthday, Luna brought all the cousins to her house for a game of Seek Me without the parents knowing. It had not been a pretty scene when Harry woke to find his three children missing.

Luna appeared just as Rose put her fork down. Roxanne and Fred Weasley the Second were each holding one of her hands and had their eyes squeezed tight.

"Here we are, then," she said, "you can open up now. There you go."

Roxanne looked slightly nauseous. "Happy birthday," she said to the twins. She plopped down in one of the seats around the table, resting her chin in her palms. "I hear we're playing Quidditch."

Little Fred looked just as nauseous as his older sister. "I should be getting ready," he moaned, staggering forward to another chair. "We're going to school in_ two days_."

"Stop worrying," pleaded Roxanne. "You're already packed. The train could show up now and you'd be ready."

"But –"

"So we should go get the others, eh?" said Rose quickly, not wanting to hear the budding argument.

She, Lorcan, and Lysander slid out of the house easily. Albus and James were already waiting by the broom shed when they arrived. For once, the brothers wore matching mischievous grins.

"Lily is already on her way," said Albus, "and Briar and Adella should be coming along soon."

"Dominique and Louis have been up for a few hours," added James, gesturing to the two flying figures far above them. Rose could only marvel at the incredibly competitive siblings. She and Hugo had gotten lucky - - Rose didn't care about flying, and Hugo didn't care about books.

Lorcan whistled loudly, trying to catch Dominique and Louis' attention. Once their eyes were on him, he waved them down.

"No Victoire?" he asked as Dominique landed.

"Just because it's your birthday doesn't mean you can turn all mental on us," laughed Dominique a bit crudely. "Victoire, fly? She should be at dinner tonight, though."

"Happy birthday," panted Louis, landing with a lurch. "We playing?"

"Team on up," said James. "Me and Al are Seekers. Unless either of you want it?" he added, looking the twins as an afterthought.

"I'm referee," repeated Lysander. "Along with Rose, of course," he added after seeing her glare.

Lorcan considered it for a moment. "No," he said finally. "You both will need the practice for this year."

The rest of the players arrived as teams begin to form. Lorcan finally decided on playing Keeper under James. Their team also consisted of siblings Adella and Briar Longbottom, who flew out on their own brooms. Little Fred scampered out from Luna's grip in time to claim a spot as Beater.

The other team, led by Albus, contained Dominique in her favorite position, Keeper, her brother Louis as a Beater, and Lily and Hugo as Chasers.

"I'll sit out of this one," said Roxanne, shaking her head when James offered her broom. "I have some sketches to do."

"Sketches?" Rose looked at the path parchment Roxanne had taken out of her pack. "Sketches of what?"

A faint blush Rose on Roxanne's light brown cheeks. "Ah, er... nothing much," she said, falling over her words. "Well, it's - - promise not to laugh?"

"Of course!" said Rose. She could think of no reason Roxanne's sketches would be laughable.

Roxanne flipped open her sketchbook. She had drawn a faceless witch in a slightly bent pointed hat and long, billowing robes. Her robes had been colored deep purple with golden stars running around the hems.

"Did you design this?" asked Rose, flipping the page. On the next sheet, there was a distinguished looking wizard in a top hat and black robes.

Roxanne smiled hesitantly. "They're really not any good," she said, "but it's fun. I like the colors, and fabrics…."

"They're beautiful," said Rose earnestly, flipping through the designs. "Can you... are you planning on making these?" She had her eye on a dark green robe with deep, triangularly-cut pockets.

"I'd love to," gushed Roxanne, "and really, they're quite practical. And I have this whole section of dress robes, did you see? I designed them after Muggle clothing, see?"

Rose and Roxanne poured over the designs until the game began. Then Rose sat down in one of the chairs someone - - probably Dominique, what with her being the eldest - - had summoned.

"Who are we rooting for?" Rose asked Lysander.

His eyes remained intent on the game. "I know James can play dirty," he said, "so keep an eye on him. However, Al may have a stronger overall team."

Rose eyed him warily. "And you claim to not like flying?" she said pointedly. It seemed to her that he was very observant of the sport he allegedly could not stand.

"I don't like Quidditch," he corrected. "I never said anything about flying. No, that I like just fine."

That didn't make any sense to Rose. "But how is that possible?" she asked. "You can't like to fly and not like Quidditch."

"I just don't like the game," he said. "It gets quite violent, really nasty. So I fly, but I don't play. It's like you, for instance. You hate flying, but you really don't hate Quidditch. You only think you do, because it involves a broom."

Rose nodded, though she wasn't completely sure she understood.

"Foul!" Lysander yelled suddenly. "James, you are only a Seeker. Do not touch the Quaffle."

Rose dodged the Bludger that whizzed by precariously close to her head.

"Sorry, Rose!" Louis called down to her. "Didn't mean it!"

The Quidditch supplies had all undergone rigorous enchantments by the adults before any of the cousins had been allowed to use them. Ironically enough, Hermione (the non-flier of the aunts and uncles) had been the one to do most of the enchantments. Now, none of the balls could escape the confines of the Grange.

Albus and James called friendly jeers to each other as they circled above the Grange. Rose had missed the release of the Snitch, but by the avid expressions of her cousins, she knew that the tiny ball must be somewhere overhead.

Timeout was only called when it was time for lunch. Albus looked dejected as he landed.

"That's the reason I never play Seeker," he said morosely. "I'm pretty much rubbish at it."

"James isn't rubbish," Rose pointed out. "He's on the house team, and he hasn't found it yet either."

"Don't rub it in," grumbled James as he touched down on the ground. "Are we sure it's even out here anymore? I haven't seen all game."

Aunt Ginny served lunch in front of her house. The cousins fell upon the food as if they hadn't eaten for days. Rose and Lysander stayed a good distance back from the famished Quidditch players.

Mina showed up partway through the meal and hopped up on Rose's lap. "Hello, you," said Rose softly, petting Mina as she purred. "You hungry for some scraps?"

"You'd think she'd prefer cat food," said Lysander with obvious interest. "Does she only eat scraps?"

"She eats whatever we do," said Rose, feeding Mina a bit of watermelon. "It hasn't been a problem so far."

Rose had read _Curious Cats_ cover to cover. Nowhere in the book did say that eating human food was bad for a cat. Mina certainly seemed to take to it just fine.

Their Quidditch game resumed after most of the food had been consumed. Rose and Lysander returned to their seats by the side of the field as the others mounted their brooms and kicked off. From his seat, Lysander chucked the Quaffle up to the teams. The break was over.

Quidditch was simple: get the Quaffle through the other team's rings. In lieu of of scoring hoops, Dominique Weasley had drawn three circles on each side with her wand – she was over the Wizarding age of seventeen.

The game only ended once the Golden snitch was caught. Unfortunately, as the afternoon wore on, there was no sign of the game ending. Neither Albus nor James could find the Snitch.

Rose knew the rules of the game inside and out. Just because she didn't like flying didn't mean she wouldn't read books about it. She and Lysander watched the players constantly, calling out fouls and issuing penalties. It was actually a lot of fun.

The next break came at dinnertime. The players landed, exhaustion clear on their faces. Albus staggered over to Rose and Lysander, looking like he wanted to say something, but he couldn't find the words.

Aunt Ginny scowled upon seeing the condition of her children. "Go wash up," she ordered. "All of you."

Lily was the only one who seemed to have any energy left. She skipped off towards her house almost eagerly. Albus and James both remounted their brooms and flew off slowly.

Dinner had been prepared by Hermione and Aunt Avalon, Neville's wife. They brought out an assortment of the twins' favorite dishes - - mashed potatoes, cherry tarts, and croissants. As the spread out the dishes of food, the rest of the family began to arrive.

Teddy Lupin arrived first, with Victoire Weasley on his arm. She clung onto him as if she was worried he would disappear. Rose thought they were an adorable couple. They had been together since Victoire was in her fourth year and Teddy was in his fifth.

"So I hear my little cousins have quite the game of Quidditch going," said Teddy, popping down across from the twins. "The case of the disappearing Snitch, eh?"

"We'll find it," said James suavely. He was always trying to act older when Teddy was around. "It can't be that hard."

Teddy sighed. "Quidditch," he said. "See, now there's something I wish I tried at school."

That was something Rose hadn't known. "You never played?" she said.

"Never touched a broom after my first flying lesson," he admitted rather ruefully. "I was busy stirring things up, you know. Causing trouble. Making a ruckus."

"He settled down once he got older," said Victoire lightly. "But then I had no interest in the sport, so neither did he."

"Are you telling her what a good influence you are on Teddy?" asked Victoire's younger sister Dominique as she sat.

"Most probably," commented Louis as he settled in next her sisters. "Ted, did she ever tell you about the let—"

"_Non parle plus,_" snapped Victoire, suddenly red in the face. "Louis…. _Jamais._"

"I'm still working on my French," Teddy told Rose quietly as Louis and Victoire began arguing. "All I can do is compliment her."

"Go for it," advised Rose. "Maybe it'll make them stop."

Teddy took Victoire's chin gently and turned her head away from her brother. "_Tu es tres belle, m'amore,_" he said, then kissed her softly on the lips.

Rose sighed. The two were so obviously in love. It was something right out of a fairytale.

James ruin the moment by gasping loudly. He pointed to Teddy, then Victoire, then back to Teddy. "You!" he said, eyes wide. "You! And—and the—"

Suddenly, his mouth was moving but no words were coming out. Rose saw Teddy slip his wand back in his pocket was a casual grin.

"Not now, James," he said airily. "Not now."

James turned to Rose, his mouth still flapping furiously. He pointed to his hand, then to Teddy, then to his head.

"Now it just looks like you want to hit me," said Teddy. "Settle down. We've got some time still."

Aunt Ginny paused as she passed with a platter of rolls. "Keep a tight rein on that one," she said jokingly. "He's a slippery bloke alright."

James gave his mother a glare.

Aunt Luna stood when it was time for dessert. "As usual," she announced lightly, "I have made the cake. It should be coming along shortly... any moment now..."

After a long moment, Aunt Hermione stood in whispered something in her ear.

"Ah." Luna drew her wand and said, "_Accio cake_!"

Some of the people at the table chuckled. Rose thought it was just like her aunt to forget to actually summon the cake.

Gasps rang out as a miniature dragon swooped down towards the table. It landed gracefully, wrapping its tail around its legs, then settled into stillness.

There was silence. Most of the cousins were clearly in awe. Their parents, however, wore drawn expressions that ranged from disapproval to disappointment.

"I made to the cake after one of Lorcan sketches," explained Aunt Luna, breaking the silence. "He's an artist, you know."

Rose glanced up Lorcan, brows raised. She knew he was more than an artist - - he was a budding Seer who drew his visions.

"You're all looking at me so oddly," continued the twins' mother. "I'll be done speaking, I suppose. Enjoy the cake!"

Lorcan turned and saw Roses inquisitive stare. "It's nothing major," he said casually, "just something I saw last week. It's probably because Charlie's here."

The cake was cut and distributed. Rose received a chunk of the scarlet tail and took a tentative bite. It was actually delicious, though the smooth scales were bit disconcerting.

"It must be one of Uncle Charlie's dragons," Rose decided after eating more of the cake. "I hope nothing bad is going to happen to him."

"Her," corrected Lorcan. "The dragon is female."

James rose a brow and tried to ask a question, but his voice was still stolen away. Glaring silently, he took a large bite of his cake.

"I think James wanted to ask how you know," said Albus.

Lorcan shrugged. "You just... know."

Dessert began to wrap up as the magical candles lit themselves. Rose was going to help clean up, but James tugged her back down into her seat, shaking his head.

"What?" she said, a bit peeved. But of course, he could not answer. She looked to Teddy to ask him to perform the counterspell - -

But he was getting down on one knee.

"I have loved you since I can remember," Teddy was saying. It had grown suddenly quiet. "First as my sister, then my best friend, then my girlfriend. Now I'm asking you to let me love you as my wife."

Victoire has begun to cry when Teddy went down on one knee. Now, sobbing in earnest, she nodded.

"Yes!" She cried through her tears. "Yes, I'll marry you, Teddy!"

Everyone clapped as Teddy slip the ring onto Victoire's finger. He then leapt to his feet and swept Victoire into a romantic kiss that didn't look like it would end any time soon.

One of the adults at the table must have noticed James's plight and unjinxed him, for he could suddenly talk again.

"So that's what the ring was for!" he exploded. It was obviously a relief for him to get the words out.

"You saw it before?" asked Rose.

"Yeah, this morning when he stopped by the house," said James. "He dropped it. I think I startled him."

As Teddy and Victoire sat down, Lorcan slid a piece of parchment across the table. Rose caught a glimpse of it - - it was a detailed drawing of Teddy and Victoire locked in their embrace.

"I saw it early last week," said Lorcan as Victoire began to tear up again. "Thought you might like to have it."

Teddy looked up, and even his eyes looked a bit watery. "Thank you," he said softly. "It's perfect."

Lorcan seemed completely unconcerned with the moment. "It was nothing," he said. "I was just doing one of my Seeing exercises."

"Trelawney sure gave you a lot of work," commented Lysander. "You've been at it all summer."

"It helps," said Lorcan lightly. "You'll see."

The children were sent to their respective homes as the adults began to clean up from the party. Rose dragged Hugo away from Lily, who tried to follow until Albus caught her arm.

Rose sent Hugo off to bed, then returned to her room. Mina was curled up on the foot of her bed, dozing off as Rose got changed into her nightgown.

Victoire and Teddy were the cutest couple she had ever seen. Rose always assumed that they were going to get married, but now it was actually going to happen.

The dragon caused her a spot of worry. She hoped that everything was alright in Romania with Charlie's dragons. Either way, they would see. In two mornings, the Hogwarts Express would arrive.


	4. Chapter 4

"Selena!" Rose called out her window. "Selena!"

"Rose, you're still here?" said Hermione as she entered. "We need to leave, darling, or you'll miss the train."

"But Selena still hasn't come back!" said Rose.

"We'll send her to school when she comes home," says Hermione hurriedly," but really, we need to leave."

It had been over a month since Rose had sent her owl to deliver a letter to Dmitri. Over that time, Rose had always expected Selena to return, but as August wore on, hope had dwindled. Now there was nothing to do but hope Selena would show up.

Rose did a quick scan of her bedroom before leaving. She hopped down the two flights of stairs and slid out the front door, halting before she hit the waiting car.

Her father was fiddling with the various knobs on the dashboard. "I know it's one of these," he muttered as Hermione climbed in to sit next to him. "I just have to... aha!"

Music blasted through the speakers, deafening Rose and Hugo. Hermione quickly turned the volume all the way down.

"Volume, Ron," she reminded her husband patiently. "This one's for volume."

"Ah. Would have remembered that in a minute, you know."

"Of course you would have."

The drive to Kings Cross station was an uneventful one. Hugo was unusually quiet— his way of protesting that he had another year to go before he would be able to attend Hogwarts.

When they arrived, they saw that Lily had taken an altogether different approach. She had a mulish set to her mouth, and she clutched a small suitcase that looked like it was packed to the brim.

"I've decided I'm going this year," she told Hugo sternly. "I'll write you every day, though. Do you want to come too?"

Hugo looked at her with wide eyes. "Are we allowed to?"

Lily sighed. "Don't worry about that," she said dismissively

Aunt Ginny laid a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Get ready to go through, dear," she said. "And you need to say goodbye to your brothers."

Lily lifted her chin regally. "Of course," she said, then walked off.

Hugo looked to Rose. "Is Lily really going to Hogwarts?" he asked nervously. "I want to go too, but I'm not all packed up."

"Lily's just playing pretend," said Rose. "Come on, let's go through the barrier together. Remember to keep running!"

Hugo clutched his sister's hand, and together, they ran at the brick wall between platforms nine and ten.

The scene on the other side was just as busy as the Muggle station. "All aboard!" a man called gruffly. "All aboard the Hogwarts Express!"

A scarlet steam engine sat on steel tracks. Smoke came from the top of it, filling the station with a mysterious fog.

Rose's parents came through the barrier next. Rose tugged her mum's hand, then whispered, "You should find Scorpius' mum."

Hermione raised a brow. "Oh, I should, should I?"

Rose nodded. "We saw her on Diagon Ally. She still wanted to be friends."

Hermione looked around. Sure enough, the Malfoys were standing at the far end of the platform, away from the other families saying goodbye. Astoria was fiddling with Scorpius' hair while Draco scanned the crowd.

Hermione gave Rose a hug. "Have a great year," she said with a soft smile. "And I expect you home for Christmas!"

"Yes, Mum," said Rose obediently.

Hugo hugged his sister exuberantly. "Send me letters?" he said, eyes wide and pleading.

"Of course," said Rose. "You behave for Mum and Dad, okay?"

He nodded glumly.

Next, Rose received a hug from her father. "I'll keep you to that promise," he said gruffly. "Letters, and lots of them."

Rose nodded. She said a quick goodbye to Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry before scampering onto the train. Albus had beaten her and was waiting in one of the last compartments.

"And thus begins another year," said Rose as she sat. "Any sign of Scorpius?"

"Might not have boarded yet," said Albus. "James decided to go with O'Grady and his lot."

"Saves us another row," said Rose. She was relieved; any time James saw Scorpius, there was a fight on the horizon.

Scorpius opened the compartment door as the train rolled into motion. He was followed directly by Lysander and Lorcan.

"Your brother is in Slughorn's compartment," Scorpius told Albus as he sat, "and not as a new part of the Slug Club."

The Slug Club was infamous throughout the school. Professor Slughorn seemed to have a knack for picking up wizards and witches who grew up to be truly great. An invitation into his club was a sign that he thought highly of you, something not to be taken lightly.

"What he do now?" asked Albus wearily, sounding more like a father than a younger brother.

"Tried to hex me from behind," said Scorpius calmly. "Would've gotten me, too, if Lorcan hadn't been there."

Lorcan looked up, startled to hear his name. He had settled onto the floor and had immediately opened his Transfiguration book "What did I do?" he said.

"He has good reflexes," explained Lysander." Slughorn saw and was not impressed."

Lorcan looked up from his book once more. "I'm sorry, but what's buzzing?" he said, glancing around with obvious confusion.

A moment later, Rose heard it too. "I think it's your pocket, Scorpius," she said.

Scorpius reached into his pocket and pulled out a small golden pyramid. "That's odd," he said, his brows coming together. "Dad just gave this to me. It goes off on someone hidden is in your presence –it's supposed to, anyway."

"A Dark Detector," said Rose. "Maybe it's broken."

Scorpius his eyes narrowed. "No," he said slowly, "it could be right..."

"There's nowhere to hide in here," Rose pointed out.

But Scorpius stood and turned towards his feet. "My dad told me a story once," he said distractedly. He climbed up on the seat and stuck his hand into where the bags were stored. He moved his arm back and forth, up and down - -

Everyone froze. They had all heard the same thing: a soft squeak.

Suddenly, Scorpius yanked his hand back. It was fisted around a rectangle of fabric Rose could just barely see. An invisibility cloak, she realized.

And up with the baggage compartment was Lily Potter.

"Lily!" cried Albus, leaping to his feet. "Let me—how did—you—"

"Let me down!" she squeaked. "I'm I'll smushed up here."

Scorpius extended his hand, which Lily took.

"Thanks," she said softly, a blush rising on her cheeks. She clambered down with a bit of difficulty. Then she brushed herself off and leaned against the compartment door.

"Hello Lorcan, Lysander," she said gracefully. "I didn't see you this morning. Won't this be fun?"

"Lily," said Albus sternly, but his sister continued.

"And you must be Scorpius Malfoy," she said, her tone lower. "I've heard about you, you know."

"Lily!" cried Albus. "Lily Luna Potter, why are you on this train?"

"To go to Hogwarts," his sister replied, as if her appearance was the most natural thing in the world.

"Lily," said Rose gently, "that's all well and good, but you're not quite old enough."

Lily set her mouth in a stubborn line. "But I've made it on the train," she said, "and they wouldn't have let me on unless they were going to let me go to school."

Albus groaned. "It doesn't work that way!" he said. "Lily, does Dad know where you are?"

Lily sniffed and did not answer.

"Oh, bloody hell," Albus muttered. "Rose could you— I hate that they take our owls. Bloody brilliant idea. What now?"

Mina pushed against Rose's leg. "Not now, girl," said Rose. The kitten had snuck past the animal check-in and wriggled her way into their compartment.

"You don't have to do anything," said Lily, hopefully. "They really won't mind—"

"Ask Slughorn," suggested Scorpius suddenly. "He has an owl. Tell your parents Lily's okay and they can pick her up at the Hogsmeade station."

Lily began to pout as Albus nodded. "Good idea. You keep an eye on Lily—"

"I don't need anyone to watch me!" she protested.

"— and Rose and I will go to Slughorn," Albus finished.

They had to go as far as to threaten Lily with a Full-Body Bind before she would sit still and be quiet. With Scorpius' directions, Rose followed Albus down the corridor in search of Professor Slughorn.

They found him at the opposite end of the train. James was sitting in the compartment, along with other students, including the boy Scorpius had avoided in the Apothecary— Tobias Krimp.

"Excuse me, Professor Slughorn," said Albus quietly after opening the door. "Could we... borrow your owl?"

James buried his face in his hands as the other students chuckled. Professor Slughorn raised his gray brows.

"Of all the reasons a student has come to my compartment," he said, "this must be the oddest. Why on earth do you need my owl?"

By this point, Albus' cheeks were bright red. "My little sister snuck on the train and I need to tell my parents where she is," he muttered, staring at the ground.

There was a moment of silence, then Professor Slughorn burst out in deep laughter. He dabbed at his eyes with a handkerchief as the students began to chuckle as well.

"You – your— your little sister is here?" he said, gasping for air. "On the train? Right now?"

Albus nodded glumly.

"Well, for all's sake, bring her over!" Slughorn cried.

"I - excuse me?" Albus was clearly taken aback.

"You heard me," said Slughorn. "I'm afraid I checked my owl in with the others, but I would be thrilled to meet the little minx."

"We – we'll bring her right over," said Albus hopelessly.

"Wonderful!"

Slughorn turned to James.

"You may go," he said dismissively. "I don't expect to see you going off on anyone else on the train, now. Keep it in the classroom."

Rose didn't think that was the best advice, but she was in no position to critique.

James sighed as the door shut. "Lily is seriously on board?" he said, unusually grave. "She snuck onto the train?"

"Apparently," said Albus.

"Mum and Dad must be freaking out!"

"I'll go get Lily," volunteered Rose. "You two, try to figure out how to get in touch with your parents."

Rose returned to the compartment, already weary enough to turn in for the night. She wondered if she would be able to stay awake for the Sorting ceremony.

Lily was reading over Lorcan's shoulder when Rose opened the door.

"Tell me you and Al sent an owl," said Scorpius pleadingly, looking dubiously at Rose's expression.

"Slughorn would like to see Lily," said Rose, exasperated.

Lily grinned deviously as everybody looked at her in surprise. "Told you he wouldn't be mad," she said in a singsong tone. She sprung up from her seat and slid past Rose into the corridor.

Rose found that she had nothing to say her cousin. That was fine—Lily talked enough for the both of them.

"I can't wait to be sorted," she chattered. "I really hope I don't get Hufflepuff. I mean, Ravenclaw at least means you're super smart, right? But what does Hufflepuff even _mean_?"

It was a relief to reach Slughorn's compartment. Albus and James still stood next to the door and the midst of what looked to be an argument. They stopped as Lily came into view.

"Lily," groaned James, "what are you doing here?"

"I heard Professor Slughorn wanted to see me," she said, smugness tingeing her voice. "Excuse me."

And without letting her brothers respond, Lily stepped past them and opened the door to the compartment.

For a moment, Rose, Albus, and James didn't know what to do. They were frozen as the door slid close and Lily joined Slughorn's group.

Finally, Albus spoke. "Well," he said helplessly, "I suppose we just go back to our compartment now."

"Good idea," said James. He headed off towards Rose and Albus' compartment with a jovial grin.

Rose stopped him. "Scorpius is there with us," she warned, "and we don't want any dueling. If you mean to start a row, don't come back with us."

James scowled. "Choosing that Malfoy boy over your cousin," he said bitterly. "Brilliant move. I'll see you at school."

He stalked off, presumably to find some of his friends.

Rose and Albus returned to their compartment, where Scorpius and the twins were waiting for an explanation.

"Slughorn thought she was a little minx," explained Rose as she picked Mina up. The cat had stolen her seat and, quite pleasantly, kept it warm. "He wanted to meet her."

"I reckon he has a way of getting in touch with Dad," said Albus as he sat across from Rose. "Something they used during the war."

All Rose could think of was the Order of the Phoenix. The members communicated via talking Patronuses, the secret to which they kept close.

"I don't know," she sighed. "I'm sure he's capable of handling her now. I'd love to just relax."

Mina began to purr in her lap. Lorcan returned to his book, _Unfogging the Future_.

"It's quite interesting," he told Rose when she asked him about it. "I don't have a chance at doing half of this, but it's interesting just the same."

The subject moved to the twins' birthday party.

"Dad didn't want me going," said Scorpius, sounding a bit glum about it. "Thanks for the invitation, though. It was... interesting."

"Mum made the stationary," said Lysander, "though it doesn't usually sing."

"Uncle Charlie was there," said Lorcan, "which was nice."

"He's _our _uncle, actually," said Rose, "but it's like were all related. He works with dragons out in Romania."

Scorpius groaned. "Oh, don't mention dragons," he pleaded. "Mum and Dad had a huge row about them the other day. Apparently the Ministry is messing around with regulations again."

"Does your dad work at the Ministry?" asked Rose. She hadn't realized until now how much she did not know about Scorpius' family.

"I suppose so," said Scorpius. His face was drawn, almost unhappy. "He goes there every day, at least. Hell if I know what he actually does."

"What department is he in?" said Rose. She knew he wasn't in the Auror department under her uncle.

"He's… he's an Unspeakable."

Rose's eyebrows shot up. "An Unspeakable?" she cried, her voice jumping up an octave. Through all of her family's connections, she knew a great deal of Ministry workers, but not one of them was an Unspeakable.

"It doesn't matter," muttered Scorpius. "He says he doesn't care for his job, anyway."

"I wouldn't," said Lorcan. Rose hadn't thought he was paying attention to the conversation. "I'd never be able to handle a desk job."

Lysander looked thoughtful. "I suppose I could," he said, "but that's far in the future, right?"

Lorcan looked up from his book. His eyes were oddly serious. "Don't ask what you don't want to know," he warned gravely.

The rest of the train ride flew by. Rose managed to get a quick nap in by leaning against the door of the compartment. Albus woke her up in time to change into her school robes. That was when she found what Lily had brought aboard the train with her.

"I don't think it's Dad's," said Albus as Rose handed him the invisibility cloak. "It's smaller, and you can almost see past it. See?"

True, Rose could see what looked like the shadow of Albus' arm waving behind the cloak. "Give it back to him anyway, I suppose," she said. "It may just be one of Uncle George's joke items, though."

The train pulled into the Hogsmeade station after the sun had fully set. As Rose climbed off, she saw a man standing under one of the lanterns. It was Uncle Harry.

"Is my daughter on that train?" he asked hotly before Rose could say hello.

"She's with Professor Slughorn," said Rose. "He'll be coming off down there."

Albus approached cautiously. "This may belong to you, Dad," he said, giving his father the invisibility cloak tentatively.

Uncle Harry took it with a curt nod of thanks. Rose could see where his eyes were locked: Professor Slughorn was crossing the crowded station, one hand on Lily's shoulder.

"So good to see you, m'boy," said Slughorn when he was with in hearing distance. "I believe that this little minx here is yours."

"I'm sorry I am not able to stay and talk," said Harry swiftly, "but Ginny is in quite a state. I must get home."

Without another word, he put a hand on Lily's shoulder and disappeared.

"I thought you couldn't Disapparate on Hogwarts grounds," said Albus as he and Rose rejoined the other students.

"We're technically on Hogsmeade grounds," replied Rose. She has learned about the connection the previous year during the Triwizard Tournament.

Lorcan, Lysander, and Scorpius were already in one of the carriages meant to take the older students to the castle. They were drawn by invisible horses – thestrals, which could only be seen by those who had seen death.

"A bit eerie," remarked Scorpius, looking at the harnesses hanging in midair. "I mean, they're _there_, but it's still spooky."

Rose had to agree once the carriages began moving of their own accord.

"So little Fred gets sorted this year," said Albus as they bounced up the uneven dirt path. "I hope he's in Gryffindor."

"He's fairly brainy," said Lorcan. "Maybe he'll be in Ravenclaw like Lucy."

"One of our cousins," explained Rose, seeing Scorpius' confusion.

"Rose, I still don't see how you ended up in Gryffindor," said Lorcan lightly. "You're smarter than half the people I know in my house."

Rose wanted to say that she was smarter than all of them – her finals scores had showed that she was top of the class— but she restrained herself. Her mother had always said that it was rude to brag.

Her next thought was another memory, this time of when she had been sorted. _You could excel in Ravenclaw, where intelligence is cherished above all else_, the Sorting Hat had said. _Your parents were fine Gryffindors—and you could do great things in the coming years—but I fear your surroundings might hinder…._

But what did it mean? What's could hinder her - - and hinder her from what?

It wasn't something to think about at the moment. The castle was coming into view, and with it, the start of the new year.

Walking the halls felt different as a second year. Rose was not in a small, rickety boat fighting across the lake. She strode in the Great Hall proudly and sat at her usual spot at the Gryffindor table.

There was the nagging feeling that someone was missing - - Dmitri, Rose realized after a moment. It sent a pang of sadness through her to realize that she still missed the foreign boy.

"Don't give me that look," complained James as he sat. "It's not like I tried to kill him or anything!"

Albus rolled his eyes. "Just –" he began, but the doors to the Hall opened again. The first years had arrived.

Rose tuned Professor Flitwick out as he made preliminary announcements. She picked little Fred out of the crowd of anxious first years. He, along with all the others, was staring at the tattered sorting hat sitting on a stool at the front of the room.

When he was finished explaining how the sorting would go, a hush fell over the room. All eyes were on the sorting hat.

The slit over the brim opened and the hat began to sing:

_When I was only scraps of fabric,_

_No one then suspected_

_That I'd become a hat like this,_

_Treasured, not neglected._

_That I'd become a cherished thing_

_For those newly Hogswarted,_

_But here I am, and there you are,_

_All eager to be sorted._

_You may end up in Ravenclaw_

_With knowledge as your kinship._

_You'll fly on wings of books, and then_

_You'll learn about true friendship._

_Hufflepuffs, they'll soar around_

_With kindness everlasting._

_Those friendly badgers look about_

_For new spells to be casting._

_If you're put in Gryffindor,_

_You're sure to be well-loved_

_For those with natural bravery_

_Are never pushed or shoved._

_And finally, there's Slytherin:_

_The snakes of true ambition._

_If fighting's in the halls again,_

_It's just for their fruition._

_But so I don't seem prejudiced_

'_Gainst one house or the next,_

_I'll say this much: they all are fair;_

_Not one of them is best._

_Not one of them shall rise above_

_The others, not this year._

_For one from each shall be the best_

'_Til only one is clear._

_Only one shall hold the title,_

_Hold above the rest,_

_And when that student comes forth now,_

_He shall be the best._

After a hesitant moment, the room broke into applause. Rose looked to Lysander, a question clear on her face. It had been the oddest Sorting song. What had the Hat been talking about?

Professor McGonagall clapped her hands for attention. "The sorting will now commence," she said sternly. "I will have silence, if you please."

The quiet conversations died down as Professor Flitwick unfurled scroll with the first years names.

"Aberford, Bianca!"

Rose relaxed as the Sorting began. Apparently no one else had found the song to be strange—surely she was looking too far into things.

It finally came time for "Weasley, Fred!" to step forward. He did so instantly, taking careful, measured steps to the stool. Once upon friends head, the sorting hat paused for a moment, then shouted out, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

Rose sat surprised for a moment, then joined in with the rest of the clapping school. The Hufflepuff table was exceptionally loud in welcoming its newest member.

Fred looked perfectly composed as he joined the Hufflepuff table. Older students clapped him on the back as he sat, finally showing a grin.

Roxanne, sitting at the Ravenclaw table, clapped loudly for her younger brother. Rose caught a glimpse of the sketchpad hidden away on Roxanne's lap.

Fred was the second to last student to be sorted. After Zelenski, Orion was put in Slytherin, the entire room relaxed into casual chatter. The sorting was complete. The feast could begin.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The large, empty platters filled with food in the time it took Rose to blink; meat pies, potatoes, vegetables of every imaginable variety. But Rose did not immediately fill her plate. Instead, she continued to scan the room.

Scorpius sat across the room at the Slytherin table. The spaces on both sides of him were unoccupied; it was like he had the plague or something and nobody wanted to be near him.

Rose began to serve herself as she refocused on her table. There was nothing she could do to help Scorpius in his situation, whatever that might be.

She was reminded of just how tired she was by the time desserts vanished from the table. Her eyes began to droop until she was only kept awake by Albus' frequent kicks under the table.

Rose watched Professor Slughorn animatedly recounting a story to his peers, who laughed. She wondered if he was telling the story of how Lily had snuck onto the train.

Professor McGonagall stood, holding her hands up to the ready students. Louis Weasley, in the middle of a lively conversation with his friends, was the last one left talking. He looked around, confused at the sudden silence.

"Up here, Mr. Weasley," said Professor McGonagall with a slight smile. Louis grinned bashfully and turned to his headmistress.

"I have some very important start of term announcements," she began. "First, I would like to first years, as well as other students with particularly... lax memories, that the forest on the Hogwarts grounds is, in fact, forbidden. Students may enter while accompanied by a teacher in class."

James snorted and began to choke on the pumpkin juice he had been drinking. He needed not to explain his reaction. What's teacher would be mad enough to hold classes in the Forbidden Forest?

"Now," continued Professor McGonagall, "there is a matter of the utmost importance I must discuss with you all."

Complete silence fell over the room. Rose recalled the previous year's announcement of the Triwizard Tournament. The utter stillness of the students was akin to their reaction to your before.

Professor McGonagall adjusted her spectacles. "The school will play host to a group of guests once more," she said. "A group of Italian witches and wizards will be staying here with their... friends."

"What's does she mean?" whispered James, but the others were still in rapt attention of Professor McGonagall.

"These are no ordinary witches and wizards," the headmistress continued. "This year, Hogwarts will play host to the League of Dragon riders."

One would have thought a Weasley's Wizarding Whizzes firework had gone off in the Great Hall at that moment. Kara Walsh screamed; Cameron Thornton shouted "No way!". Other students made their exclamations or confessed their ignorance rather loudly.

Rose was one of the ignorant ones, which immediately served as an irritation. She was not at all accustomed to being in the dark about - - well, anything.

Lysander's usual state of intense concentration was replaced by a similar look. Rose identified it as one she had seen only once before - - and intense state of shock.

"You look like Victoire," she told him, remembering when her cousin had gone into posttraumatic shock. "Why? Tell me!"

He could only shake his head mutely. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it after realizing the effort was useless.

Albus wore an expression similar to Rose's He looked to her for some kind of explanation, but she could only shrug.

James, however, went directly into a coughing fit so violent, his face began to turn red.

"Here?" he wheezed when he was finally able to draw his breath. "The Riders - - coming - - here?"

Professor McGonagall fought to silence the rowdy students. When it was obvious that none of them were paying attention to her, she lifted her wand into the air. A resounding bank exploded in the air. Once of the silver smoke had cleared away, the students were silence.

"I expect that to be the last I have time I have to silence you," said Professor McGonagall sternly. "As I have previously stated, this is a very serious matter, one which requires your utmost attention.

"For those of you unaware of what we speak, I will pause to offer an explanation. The League of Dragon Riders is a group out of Giorni, Italy."

Here she paused, and when she continued, there was marked hesitation in her tone.

"The Riders ignored the international restrictions and regulations and raised five dragons in secret. These dragons have been labeled as domesticated by the Italian Ministry."

Rose had known about the domesticated dragons. Her parents had heard the news the year before her first of Hogwarts.

"You can't _domesticate_ a dragon!" insisted Hermione. She had been almost furious upon hearing the news. "Do they not remember the Bulgarian wizard was _just_ mauled by a Horntail?"

"Which Bulgarian?" asked Ron eagerly.

Hermione had shot an icy glare that wiped the look off his face.

Now, Rose was confused. She had previously taken the opinion of her mother - - she had heard horror stories from her Uncle Charlie involving dragons. In her eyes, there was no way to domesticate them.

"I would like to remind you all," continued Professor McGonagall, seeing the students shift, "that this is a Ministry sponsored, Ministry approved program."

"Is the Ministry trying to kill us?" muttered Albus. Rose had to agree with his remark.

"The program," said Professor McGonagall loudly, trying to close the side conversations, "involves interested students learning how to ride these... domesticated dragons. There will be an end of the term race involving one student per house."

This caused a fresh bout of side conversations. Rose met Scorpius' gaze from across the room - - he looked like he was teetering between terrified and exhilarated.

"_We_ are going to be riding _dragons_?" said James, his eyes as wide as galleons.

Lysander's brows shot up in surprise. "Now that I was not expecting," he said, clearly shocked. "They are putting us...?" He couldn't even finish his thought.

Professor McGonagall continued over the students. "Interested students are required to have permission forms signed by their parents or guardians. There is no age limit - - according to the Riders, the program is meant to educate students of all ages on dragonic misconceptions."

James was still too shocked to react to the unusual phrasing. In fact, no one snickered. An eerie silence had fallen over the room. All of the students had fully realized with Professor McGonagall was saying. This year, they would be riding dragons.

"Permission forms have been given to all of the prefects." continued Professor McGonagall wearily. "They are due back to your heads of house by Halloween. That is when the Riders will arrive with their... err... mounts,"

Rose found Hagrid's seat at the head table. He wore a grin that overpowered his face. It must've been his dream come true - - a year with five dragons, here at Hogwarts.

"More information will be available to all students closer to the Riders' arrival," said Professor McGonagall. "Until then, I advise you to seek out your prefects for permission forms. Besides that, have a good night sleep. You will receive your class schedules in the morning."

She clapped her hands, and the prefects stood like well-trained dogs. The Gryffindor prefects beckoned for the students to follow them, then strode away at a brisk pace.

"I still can't believe it," said Albus with wonder. "Dragons? Here? For a year?"

Rose frowned. "You seem awfully excited about this," she said as they fell in with their classmates. "Don't you realize what a hazard this is? How dangerous?"

"Don't be a downer," said James as he came to walk beside them. "I think this will be thrilling!"

Albus had a thoughtful expression on that Rose was not used to. "As long as it doesn't interfere with Quidditch," he said carefully.

James stopped dead in his tracks. Eyes wide, his mouth fell open in shock. The sight was altogether too funny not to laugh.

"McGonagall didn't say that the season was canceled," Rose reminded James after she had finished laughing. "She would have told everyone, like last year."

James just shook his head and began walking again.

They entered the common room to find a mob around the fireplace. The prefects were trapped in the center of the ring, fighting to give permission forms to all the bustling figures around them.

"I'm going in," said James, rolling up his sleeves. "Al, you're in, right?"

Albus looked hesitant but nodded.

"Great," said James. "Rose, you get one, like it or not."

Without giving Rose time to protest, James entered the writhing mass of bodies.

Rose sighed wearily. "I'm off to bed," she told Albus. "I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

Tia Marsh was the only one in Rose's dormitory, which now had a plaque reading "Second Years" on its door.

"About time someone showed up," said Tia with a friendly grin. "I thought I'd have to pry you out the mob downstairs."

"Not a chance," said Rose quickly. "I don't fly, remember?"

Kara, Mary, and Loren flew through the door, laughing madly. Each girl clutched a permission form as if it was a check for a million dollars.

"We got them!" cried Kara, as if Rose and Tia had not yet noticed the forms in their hands. "We got the permission forms!"

"Congratulations," muttered Tia, turning from the girls and rolling her eyes. "I'm all in for the night."

"Me too," chimed in Rose. If they decided to sleep, the other girls would have to be quiet.

The next morning brought a flurry of owls in the great Hall. Rose watched as they landed in front of their owners, signed permission forms clenched in their beaks.

"There's James' owl," said Albus. He had spotted her swooping down with the rest. "Those will be our forms."

"You don't suppose Selena got lost, do you?" said Rose, thinking back to last trip she had sent her owl on. "She might have, if she didn't know where Durmstrang is."

James shrugged as he doled out the forms. "Could have," he said. "Here's your form, Rose."

"I told you, I'm not flying," she said, "and that should've closed the matter."

"But it didn't," replied James, "so hush and eat your oatmeal."

One of the school's owls landed before Lysander. He took the letter and gave her an owl treat before sending her off.

"Hardly expected you to join them in their madness," said Rose, raising a brow. "Dragon riding? Really?"

"Probably not," said Lysander, unfolding his form. "Good, Mum remembered to sign it. I just want to have the option there for me."

He had a very good point.

Something nuzzled up against Roses foot, then hopped up onto her lap. It was Mina, holding a wriggling chocolate frog in her teeth daintily.

"Mina!" cried Rose. "Where did you get that?"

The cat just regarded Rose with wide emerald eyes.

"Stealing is not very nice," reprimanded Rose. "You had better behave, missy, or I'll send you home to with Mum."

"That cat is starting to grow on me," said James fondly. "How did you find her again?"

"She found me," corrected Rose, "and she's been making mischief ever since."

"She'd be good as any Finder if you could train her," said Lysander dreamily. "She does this often, doesn't she?"

Rose nodded and began to pet Mina, whose purr was impossibly loud. "Quite a bit," she said. "It's how I matched my socks when I was packing."

Laden with stacks of schedules, the house heads began to go down the four long tables. Professor Evariste shook his head as students attempted to hand in signed permission forms.

"At your first class," he said automatically when James tried to give him his. "Here are your schedules, now."

"I'm excited to start Astronomy this year," said Rose, noting the midnight lessons on Wednesday nights. "Why didn't we start them last year?"

James shrugged cluelessly.

"We didn't start until second year either," put in Lysander. He had finished reviewing his schedule and was buttering a piece of toast. "I think they took it out of the first your schedule because they didn't want to overload them."

Rose managed to feed Mina a small chunk of scrambled egg offered to her. "Fair enough," she said. "Is it difficult?"

"The class?" said Lysander. "No."

"Staying awake?" asked James." Absolutely."

"Hey, we have double Defence Against the Dark Arts on Fridays again," remarked Albus. "And after lunch Wednesday - -"

"And first thing Monday morning," interrupted Rose. "Beats Herbology."

The meal ended and Rose and Albus split off from James and Lysander, who were off to Care of Magical Creatures. Rose stopped to scan the Entrance Hall as all the students headed for their first classes of the year.

"Looking for someone?" said a voice from behind her. It was Scorpius, wearing a playful smile. "Still have Defense with me?"

"If you're heading there now, then yes," said Rose.

They all began the trip to the third floor.

"So that's cousin of yours," began Scorpius. "Fred, was it?"

"Yes," confirmed Rose. "First Weasley of our generation to be a Hufflepuff."

Scorpius looked like he had something to say, but he stopped himself just in time. Instead, he merely said, "Ah," and left it at that.

Professor Evariste was visibly thrilled to be starting a new year. "I'm still glad to have all of you back," he said enthusiastically. "Even you, Mr. Leach. Don't think I didn't hear about you trying to switch out of my class."

The students chuckled good-naturedly - - well, some more good-naturedly than others. Odessa Blackwell and Tomasa Kerpbow snickered nastily in a corner, but no one paid much attention to the pair.

"This year," continued Professor Evariste, "we will be starting off with binding spells. As these are potentially dangerous, we will be doing book work for the first week. Next week we'll start some discussions, then we'll see about a practical next Friday. How does that sound?"

Albus made a face at the prospect of the book work, but Rose was excited. The rest of the hour flew by as she read the chapter on binding spells. It was interesting - - there were pictures of witches being bound by their hair and wizards tied up their socks.

When the bell rang, Rose put her book back in her bag "I think going to stop by the library before lunch," she decided out loud. "I want to see if they have anything on these Riders."

"I'll tag along" said Scorpius. "I don't know about you, but I'm excited."

Albus rolled his eyes. "Don't get her started," he begged Scorpius. "Please."

Rose sighed, exasperated. "Let's go History of Magic," she said, tugging on Albus his sleeve. "Scorpius, I'll meet you at the library."

The rest of the morning seems to drag by. History of Magic finally seemed dull, and even Charms was long. Finally, it was time for lunch.

"I'll meet you there in a few," Rose told Albus, was making a beeline for the Great Hall.

"Sure," he called over his shoulder, obviously distracted. Rose locked her eyes on his retreating figure. What was wrong with Albus?

Scorpius was already in the library when Rose arrived. Madame Abbott was not behind her desk as usual.

"She's pulling a few books for us," said Scorpius when Rose asked about the librarian's whereabouts.

"Mister Malfoy?" called Madame Abbott. From deeper within the library. "Mister Malfoy, are you here?"

Scorpius and Rose followed the sound of Madame Abbott's voice into a deeper section of the library. She was setting a stack of books on a table.

"There you are," she said. "Good morning, Miss Weasley. Now, these are some of the books we have on dragons. We don't have any specifically on the Dragon Riders, but I found one about an Armenian wizard whose life goal was to ride a dragon."

Rose nodded and took some of the books. They thanked Madame Abbott and left the library, arms laden with books.

"Do you mind stopping by Evariste's room?" asked Rose. "I had a question about the binding spells we did today."

Scorpius shrugged. "Sure. I mean, who needs lunch?"

They continued to talk until they reached the third floor. They were walking down an empty corridor when Rose to stopped, holding arm out for Scorpius to the same.

"What?" he said. Rose shushed him, holding a finger to her lips.

Loud female laughter was coming from the girls bathroom at the end of the corridor.

"That's Moaning Myrtle's bathroom," Rose told Scorpius quietly. "Why on earth would she be laughing?"

"Well, let's find out," said Scorpius.

"I'm not sure if we should," said Rose, but Scorpius had already started down the corridor. Rose followed him, still hissing warnings.

"It'll be fine," muttered Scorpius as they reached the door to the lavatory. "Just put the books down over here. She's a ghost, remember?"

Sighing, Rose left the books stacked against the wall. "If those disappear..." she warned. Ignoring her, Scorpius opened the door.

As Rose stepped through the doorway, she heard a quiet hiss, like air being let out of the balloon. The next thing she knew, she was encased in a bubble of light. She went to draw her wand and found she could not move.

They were under attack.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Enchanting Enhancements

Rose wracked her brain for information on nonverbal spells, knowing that they were too advanced for her. She knew, as much as it pained her, that she was stuck.

The misty light was too grey to see through - - or past. Rose squinted, but she could make out nothing more than shadows beyond the foggy screen.

Suddenly, the case of light shattered. Rose froze for a moment, taking in the scene before her.

The room was full of girls looking to be of all ages and houses. One pointed her wanted Rose, but she did not try a spell. Scorpius had a firm grip on one of the others, with his wand under her chin.

There was a moment where no one moved. Then, slowly, the girls lowered their wands. Scorpius glanced around the room, his eyes suspicious. He released the girl whom he had grabbed, but his wand remained out.

"Scorpius," said Rose, forcing her voice to be calm. "Scorpius, relax."

Two girls popped their heads out from a stall. One was dark skinned with straight black hair cut in a short bob. The other was fair and blonde, her friend's polar opposite.

"Play nice, now," said the blonde to the other girls. "No need to scare away our first customers."

"If they're customers," said the darker girl. "Mindel, go introduce yourself. I'll continue here."

The blonde girl hopped out of the toilet stall and approached Rose and Scorpius. Rose took an automatic step back. The entire affair was confusing her completely.

"I'm Mindel," said the girl as she stuck out her hand. "Ravenclaw, year five. You're Rose Weasley, aren't you?"

Rose looked at Mindel with suspicion. "Yes," she said tentatively. "Yes, I am."

"I know your friend Lorcan," explained Mindel.

"Sorry to be rude," said Scorpius sharply. "But I think you owe us an explanation."

"Of course!" cried Mindel. "Everyone, this is Rose Weasley and her friend Scorpius. Rose, Scorpius, these are the ladies of Enchanting Enhancements."

"Leave introductions to later!" called a voice from the stall. "Find out why they're here!"

Mindel sighed. "That's Riss," she said quietly. "Don't mind her, she's just a bit crabby."

"Someone attacked Rose when we came in," said Scorpius flatly. "Tell us why."

"Oh dear!" cried Mindel. "Oh, naughtly naughty indeed! One of the girls must've gotten spooked, is all. We didn't expect anyone on the first day of classes. We're hardly prepared!"

Rose scanned the room, noting things out of place. There were boxes piled up against the sinks full of small velvet bags.

"But you notice our merchandise!" said Mindel exuberantly. "Come, let me give you a tour."

"A tour of what exactly?" asked Rose.

At a glance from Mindel, the other girls lept into motion. Some began to unpack boxes, while other assorted velvet bags and piles.

"This is the headquarters of Enchanting Enhancements," said Mindel regally, spreading an arm out to encompass the room. "We offer an array of supplements and other herbal enhancers for the harried Hogwarts student. Riss over there is in charge of our special potions department - -"

"Mindel, the daisy roots!" called Riss from her spot in the stall. Rose now understood the stalls; the girls were using them to brew potions.

Mindel pointed one of the other girls, who immediately dropped the bag she was holding and grabbed another. "To Riss," said Mindel curtly. The girl stepped into motion, going to the stall Riss was using.

"We're relatively modestly sized company," continued Mindel, "but don't let that fool you. We have a promising year ahead of us."

Rose picked up a velvet bag ends, loosening the drawstring top. "Who do you cater to?" she asked, prodding the powder within the bag with with her finger.

"Oh, the general population," said Mindel vaguely. "There will be plenty of frantic OWL and NEWT level students to keep us afloat."

Scorpius went to examine some of the boxes, but Mindel set her wand on top of it casually.

"These are some of our more... expensive pieces," she said brightly. Her wand was still on the box. "They mustn't be toyed with. Please, let us continue."

Scorpius narrowed his eyes fractionally, but Rose pulled him along.

"Well, as you can tell, our premises is still being worked on," said Mindel. As she spoke, one of the other girls levitated a sponge to begin scrubbing a window. "We should be open for business very shortly, so make sure to tell your friends - -"

"Mindel!" snapped Riss from the stall. "Aren't you done yet?"

"Just a minute, Riss," said Mindel patiently. "I haven't asked her yet."

"Asked me what?" said Rose.

"Well," said Mindel, leaning close as if to tell a secret. "We're looking for one last girl to join us. You see, seven is a wonderful number, but Riss is the only strong potion maker among us. You're good with potions, are you not?"

Rose was taken aback. "I - I suppose," she said uncertainly. "And that's very nice- -"

"The position pays well, of course," added Mindel with a conspiratorial wink. "We make a tidy profit, and now that we've expanded, it's going to be even better than last year."

Before Rose could respond, Scorpius asked what she had been thinking. "Where's Moaning Myrtle?" he said.

Mindel's eyes hardened. "Oh, she's around," she said, her voice still light. "She doesn't mind what we do as long as she gets to laugh at the customers. She finds them quite desperate."

"Your offer is very kind," said Rose slowly, "but I'm afraid I must decline. I have too many classes to add more to the pile."

Mindel sighed. "I knew you would say that," she muttered. Her complexion brightened as she forced on a cheerful smile. "Well, that's quite understandable. You're welcome to come back anytime, even as just a customer. Riss can whip you up any potion you need."

"Thank you," said Rose politely as Mindel walk them to the door. "Good luck with your... business."

Cordial as she was, Mindel seemed in a hurry for them to leave. Rose and Scorpius found the door closing only inches behind them.

"That was... unexpected," said Rose as she bent down to collect the books she and Scorpius had left in the hall.

"Odd is what I would call it," said Scorpius, glancing back at the door. "How does McGonagall not know about them?"

"No one likes to disturb Moaning Myrtle," said Rose. "As long as they're not painfully obvious, McGonagall may never know."

They decided that the visit to professor Evariste's office could wait. Rose didn't remember what her question had been, and besides, she was hungry.

They made it to the Great Hall in time for the last five minutes of lunch. Rose grabbed what she could, and ended up taking a roll to her next class.

It wasn't until she sat down and Professor Slughorn's dungeon that she realized that Albus was missing. He had not been at lunch either, Rose recounted.

"Where's Albus?" she asked Scorpius, who had just slid into the room, obviously worried about being late.

He shrugged. "Figured he was with you," he said. "Wasn't he at lunch with you?"

"No," said Rose, "he wasn't. It's not like him to be late, that's James."

Albus darted into the room just as the bell rang. Professor Slughorn, already standing, raised a brow at him.

"Lateness is not tolerated, Mister Potter," he said, a dark overtone to his jovial voice. "Do you have a note?"

Albus hesitated, then handed his professor a small piece of parchment. Slughorn stared at it for a moment, then began to laugh heartily.

"This here is something," he's chuckled. "I'll let you go for pure cheek. Get to your seat."

Rose pushed out a stool for Albus, who fell into it gratefully.

"Who was that note from?" asked Rose quietly, but Albus shook his head.

"Not now," he hissed, a faint blush rising up his cheeks. "Later."

Rose had to wait until the bell rang to interrogate him. "You were late," she chided him. "Who was your notes from?"

Red flew up his cheeks. "No one," he muttered, not meeting Roses eyes.

Rose raised a brow. "Albus Severus Potter," she said firmly, "you tell me who that note was from."

Scorpius whistled. "Who knew she had it in her?" he said ignoring Rose glare.

"Fine," huffed Albus. "I skipped lunch so that I could... so I could practice." He looked at the floor, clearly embarrassed.

"Practice?" asked Rose, lost. "For what?"

Scorpius' face lit with a grin. "Conditions good?" he asked excitedly. "I'm going out after dinner tonight. You in?"

The pieces fell together and Roses head. "Quidditch," she groaned, "always Quidditch. When are tryouts?"

"Thursday," said Albus as Scorpius said, "Friday."

"Gryffindor and Ravenclaw are on Thursday," explained Albus.

"Yeah, and we share with Hufflepuff on Friday," continued Scorpius. "Rose, you should go to tryouts with us. I hear they're fun."

"I heard they're terrifying," groaned Albus. "I am completely unprepared - -"

"You flew every day this past summer," retorted Rose. "Really, you'll be fine."

Albus' worryings continued until dinner. Food seemed the only thing that could silence him, and even then, he would occasionally sit down his fork and drop his head into his head.

Rose scratched an itch her hand as Albus buried his head for the third time. "Don't sulk," she said, trying to be firm with him. "You have to have energy to fly later."

"She has a point," said James. "We all need our strength."

"You have nothing to worry about," said Rose, itching her hand again. "You're already on the team, remember?"

"Cameron would replace me in an instant if someone better came along," agreed James. "Opal's the one who took me on a temporary last year, remember? I'm just lucky that bloke never came back to school."

"Rose, what you doing?" asked Lysander suddenly.

Rose looked down and saw she was still itching her hand. It was covered with rough, red splotches that stretched up her fingers to herwrist.

"What did you do?" asked James, making a face. "It looks all diseased."

"I don't have a clue," said Rose slowly, examining her hand gingerly. "It wasn't like this this morning."

"You should go to Madame Chang's after dinner," suggested Lysander.

"Yeah," agreed Albus. "Scorpius and I will be on the pitch when you get out."

Madame Chang examined the spots on Roses hand, holding it gingerly. "You seem to be allergic to something," she said gently. "Probably an ingredient in Potions or a plant in Herbology. Here, I have some ointment for the spots here." The light blue lotion stung a bit when it touched Roses skin, but once Madame Chang wiped it off, the rash was gone.

"Be more careful, dear," she advised Rose. "Perhaps try wearing dragonskin gloves during your classes."

Rose nodded agreeably, but secretly declined. Writing notes and handling ingredients would be a nightmare through the thick gloves.

As the week drew on, Albus became less confident about his flying abilities. By the time Thursday morning arrived, he had himself convinced that the entire Quidditch pitch would fall to pieces if he so much as touched a broom.

"It's going to be humiliating," he moaned over lunch. "There is only one Chaser spot open, and it'll be going to upperclassman."

"Don't think that way," said Rose soothingly. "You don't know what he's looking for. Anyway, he did ask you to come and try out, remember?"

That seemed to be the only thought to relax Albus as the day wore on. He was jittery and all of his classes; Rose took to kicking him under the table to make him stop.

Finally, it was time for dinner. Pale and shaking, Albus picked at his food for a few minutes, then pushed the plate away.

"I'm too nauseous to eat," he groaned when Rose shot him look. "If I eat, I'll be sick all over the field."

"Don't be so nervous," said James, patting his brother's arm. "Cameron's a pretty cool bloke. I'm glad he replaced Opal when she left."

The night air was crisp as Rose walked Albus outside. James and Lysander followed, discussing a paper they had already been assigned.

Albus made a choking sound as he and Rose stepped onto the field. "All of these people?" he said. He left his mouth open after he was done speaking.

James seemed unconcerned with the turnout. "Don't lean on your broom like that," he told Albus, who had been supporting all of his weight on his Astro. "You'll bust it up before you even get in the air."

When Cameron Thornton appeared on the pitch, Rose took it as a cue to go sit in the stands. She sat in the bottom row and called encouragements to Albus, whose face had gone completely white.

"We have quite a turnout!" called Cameron, effectively quieting the crowd. "For those of you who don't know me, I'm Cameron Thornton, captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, where I play as Beater."

That was unexpected. Rose had assumed that the captain would play Keeper or Seeker—but as she thought about it, she realised that was a foolish assumption. Dominique had played Keeper for years, and James was the Seeker.

A golden blonde head poked around the corner. Louis Weasley hopped onto the stands and slid over to sit next to Rose.

"Haven't seen you all day," he remarked, setting his bag down. "Here to cheer Albus on?"

Rose nodded. "And how come you're not down there?" she asked. The current team was standing by Cameron as he separated the others into small groups.

Louis' face soured. "My marks last year weren't great," he explained. "Mum convinced Dad that I had to concentrate on studying, especially with OWLs coming up and all."

"So no Quidditch?" asked Rose.

"No Quidditch," said Louis. "If I do well on my OWLs, they say they might let me go out next year."

Rose would never say as much, but she felt that the condition was fair. Studies have to come first at school, putting them before any extracurriculars.

She was so busy thinking about how she needed to start her own studies, she didn't notice Cameron come up to the stands.

"Good to see you, Louis," he said, patting Louis' shoulder. "We hope to have you back next year."

"I'm working on it," said Louis. "You know my priorities."

Cameron's gaze shifted to Rose. "Rose Weasley, correct?"

"Yes," said Rose. She didn't like his expression.

"Perfect!" he said. "Come on down, Rose. I want to see you fly."

Louis chuckled darkly as Rose's mouth popped open. "She doesn't fly," he told Cameron.

"Anyone can fly," said Cameron dismissively. "Come on."

"Not she _can't,_" clarified Louis. "She just _won't_."

Cameron looked to Rose for confirmation.

"He's right," said Rose. Her voice squeaked as she said, "I don't fly."

"Shame," said Cameron, a suspicious look in his eyes. "We're going for Chasers of a smaller build this year."

Rose shrugged, her muscles locked tight. She only began to relax when Cameron walked back to the field.

Louis laughed quietly, shaking his head. "The captain of the team asks specifically to see you - - _you_ - - and you turn him down."

"Much rather not make a fool of myself," responded Rose. She was just here to cheer Albus on. That was all.

She didn't quite know how Quidditch tryouts should go, but they appear to be going well. Cameron had divided the Gryffindors into different groups. Each group flew laps around the pitch, then landed so the next group could take flight.

"I don't get the point of this game," said Rose as she and Louis watched Albus' group fly. Albus was easily the best one in the sky. Two of the girls appear to have never flown before, and one of the boys did a series of accidental loops before righting himself.

"It's everything you need," said Louis, fondness taking over his features. "When the winds howling in your ears and twisting in your hair... nothing else matters. You forget about schoolwork you haven't done, rows you've had... all of it doesn't matter what you have that bat in your hand and the ball comes whipping towards your head."

The intensity with which he spoke of the sport shocked Rose. She had never heard him take anything so seriously before.

"I just don't understand," she said, mostly talking to herself. "It's just a broom."

"It's flying without wings," said Louis, his gaze locked on the field. "You're a bird. And the game… the game is built around the flight."

Albus' group was the last to fly. Cameron took a moment to address the group as a whole before he began to pick people out of the crowd. Those people began the downtrodden walk back to the castle.

Rose crossed her fingers, but Albus was not in the first round of cuts. The remaining students were split into two teams.

"Now he tries to make a team," Louis told Rose. "He has everyone he wants on one team now, but they may not mesh well together."

"What positions does he need to fill?" asked Rose.

Louis thought for a moment. "Well, he needs to replace me as a Beater," he said, "and he has the other spot. James is Seeker, Dominique is Keeper… So with Mink still on the team, he really only needs two Chasers."

Rose nodded. She thought Albus had a good chance of making the team. He was a natural on a broom.

Cameron switched some of the players around three times before allowing them all to land. Rose watched as he dismissed the students, who immediately headed for the castle.

Albus stayed behind, still talking with Cameron. Louis stood and stretched, tipping his head back so his golden hair brushed the tops of his shoulders.

"I'm heading in," he told Rose, looking a bit drowsy. "I have some things to do. See you later."

Rose packed her bag—she had brought her first Transfiguration assignment to work on, but she hadn't gotten a chance to look at it. She hoped that Albus would finish his conversation soon so they could return to the common room.

When Albus finally turned around, he was wearing a mischievous smile. "C'mere, Rose," he called to her.

Suspicious, Rose climbed down to where Albus and Cameron stood. She didn't know quite what to say, so it was a relief when Cameron began to speak.

"Well, everyone is gone now," he said, looking very relaxed about it. "So, Rose, how about you hop on that broom and show me what you've got."

Rose was struck speechless. Furiously, she shook her head.

"C'mon, Rose," said Albus quietly. "Just give it a try. Please?"

She glared at him. "You know I don't fly," she said weakly, already thinking back to what Louis had said. To fly like a bird without wings.… She could feel the wind through her hair, the roar of moving air in her ears.

Cameron regarded Rose for a long moment. "It's your decision," he said, "but you have to make it now."

Rose clenched her teeth and extended a hand for Albus' broom. "What do you want me to do?"

"Try just flying around for a bit," said Cameron with a victorious grin. "Get used to the nuances of the broom."

Rose was used to recognizing the nuances in potions, not brooms. She forced her eyes to remain open as she floated a few feet above ground. Her stomach clenched with nerves as she slowly leaned forward.

The broom reacted instantly. It began to glide forward smoothly. As Rose bent her knees, the broom brought her higher into the air.

And there were all the things that Louis had told her. The wind changed her course, swinging her from side to side. It dove in and out of her hair, which she now wished she had tied back. But both of her hands were clenched around the handle of the broom, and she had no intention of moving them.

Albus flew up next to her on one of the school brooms. "You're doing great," he said reassuringly.

Rose regarded Albus warily. "What are you doing with _that_?" she asked, staring at the large red ball he held.

"You know what a Quaffle is, Rose," chided Albus. "Cameron wants to see how you can handle it. Get ready!"

Albus flew away—not too far, Rose realized with a glimmer of hope. Perhaps she could do this….

And suddenly, the Quaffle was racing towards her face. Reflexively, she threw out her arms. The Quaffle flew right into her empty palms, and she wrapped her hands around it before it could fall.

The game of catch grew easier as it proceeded. The Quaffle was large enough, an easy target. Rose found herself becoming more at ease with her broom and the new height it brought to her.

"Try shooting it through the hoops," Cameron ordered.

Albus flew over to the three golden hoops on one end of the field. Rose followed, but stopped a safe distance away.

It couldn't be too hard. All she had to do was get the ball through the hoops. Albus could only block one at a time, right?

Rose was wrong. Albus blocked her shots easily, anticipating her moves before she made them. After a few minutes about, Cameron called them both down. Rose took her time landing, being careful not to lunge forward and into the ground.

"You know her too well," said Cameron to Albus as Rose touched down. "It worked for a bit, but then you were able to anticipate her shots."

Rose returned the broom to Albus gingerly. She knew his broom was basically an extension of his body.

"The list will be up tomorrow morning," said Cameron. He patted Albus on the shoulder with a slight smile. "I look forward to seeing you play."

Albus grinned widely and didn't stop grinning all night. He bounded up the path to the Castle, leaving Rose to follow at her own pace.

The ground beneath her feet felt odd after flying. She found herself stumbling over small rocks that she should have been able step around. Her equilibrium was completely shot.

James was waiting for them up in the common room. "Nice job today, Al," he said, patting his brother on the shoulder. "And Rose! What is this I hear about you flying?"

"Word travels fast," said Albus with a shrug as Rose glared at him. "I was with you whole time."

"It's actually my fault," said Lysander as he walked over. "I realized we could see you from our dormitory window."

"You did great!" said James enthusiastically. "A bit sloppy on your shots, but not too bad overall."

"Wouldn't it be great to have her on the team?" asked Albus excitedly. "Then maybe next year, we can get Lily and Hugo on too."

"There aren't enough of spots on the team for everyone," chided James.

Albus and James were too busy arguing logistics of filling the Quidditch team with Weasleys and Potters to notice Rose sneak away towards the girls staircase. Lysander offered her a smile and a thumbs-up before she slid away. It had been a long day, and all she wanted was her bed.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The next morning came all too soon for Rose. She woke before the other girls in her room. One of them was in the middle of a dream and kept muttering about wizard cards.

Rose tiptoed out of her room and down the stairs. She was not surprised to see James and Albus already occupying to the chairs by the fire. Lysander sat in another, completely engrossed in his Charms textbook.

"I couldn't sleep," said Albus, his eyes wide and excited. "James and Lysander said they'd stay with me while I waited."

"You definitely need to go to sleep," said Rose. "Your eyes are as big as galleons. Did you sleep at all?"

Albus shook his head and began to bounce in his chair.

"I'm afraid that's our fault," said James.

Lysander shot him a pointed glare.

"Well, my fault," James amended sheepishly. "See, I thought that we could do something to pass the time..."

"He put a Cheering Charm on Albus," said Lysander with an exasperated look on his face. "There is no direct counter charm, so I'm looking for something that will counteract the evident effects."

"Have you tried - -"

"A depressive charm?" guessed Lysander. "We're worried about the negative effects on him. For now, we just have to wait it out."

Rose picked up a book that had been lying next to her chair." Is this yours?" she asked Lysander.

He shrugged. "Nope, not mine."

The cover bore no name on the distressed leather. Rose opened it tentatively and saw that it was a journal, not a textbook.

There was a short note:

_Stay in touch._

There was no signature, but Rose knew who it was from.

"Lysander, can I borrow a quill and some ink?"

Lysander pulled the materials out of his bag. Rose dipped the quill in the ink, but hesitated before touching it to the blank page.

Wasn't there a saying that history had a way of repeating itself? Rose had a clear image of her Aunt Ginny talking to her about Tom Riddle's diary.

"It seemed innocent enough," Aunt Ginny had said. "But things quickly took a turn for the worse. There were times I couldn't remember - - times I still have no memory of."

That diary had begun just like this - - a blank page in front of a young girl.

Rose cautiously let a drip of ink fall onto the page. She waited, holding her breath - -

And the drop of ink disappeared.

Rose snapped the journal shut, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. She touched her locket reflexively and was surprised to find it cool. If there was dark magic on the journal, wouldn't it have heated up?

Tentatively, she opened the journal again. Another shock - - the first page was filled with writing in two different colors.

_Always cautious, our Rose._

_Always cautious indeed._

_We're out and about, seeing the world - -_

_- - covering stories - -_

_- - that sort of thing. While we were away, we thought it would be nice to stay in touch._

_You are too thoughtful, sister._

_I do try._

Rose dipped the quill in the ink as the words began to fade.

_How can I know it's really you?_ She wrote.

Blue ink replied first. _We sent you Mina_, wrote one Gemini. _Isn't that proof enough?_

Sure enough, Mina was now sitting on the floor where the journal had been.

"Did you bring me this, Mina?" she asked as Mina rolled onto her back, her paws waving through the air. Still uncertain, Rose shut the journal, promising herself to revisit it later, when she was alone.

The common room slowly began to fill with people. Dominique patted Albus and James on the shoulder, offering her silent support.

In the mass of people, it was almost possible to miss Cameron come down from his dormitory, post a list on the notice board, and slip out of the portrait hole without a word. Albus saw him, but did not budge from his seat. His eyes were still wide, but now he was frozen with fear.

"Come on, Albus," coaxed Rose, standing. "You either made it or you didn't. There's no use in not finding out now."

Groaning to himself, Albus stated headed towards this notice board. There was already a crowd surrounding it, each person craning to read the list.

Rose ducked through to get a look.

Gryffindor Quidditch team.

**Captain Cameron Thornton**

**Keeper**: Dominique Weasley

**Seeker**: James Potter

**Beaters**: Cameron Thornton

Patricia Longgrass

**Chasers**: Charles Mink

Will Graceland

Albus Potter

**Reserve**: Rose Weasley

Rose felt like she was going to be sick. Cameron had heard her on the team as a reserve? She wasn't even sure what that meant, but it was certainly not what she had expected.

Albus and James were overly excited. "You both made the team!" cried James happily. "Rose, you're going to fly!"

"She did yesterday," said Albus with an enormous grin. "He must've really like you, to make you the reserve."

"What is a reserve, anyway?" Rose asked as they removed themselves from the crowd. "I've never even heard of it before."

"It means that if someone gets sick or injured - -"

"- - or dies - -"

Albus glared at his brother. "In that case," he continued, "you take over their spots."

"But - - but I don't know how to be a Keeper, or Seeker," Rose protested. "I don't even know how to be a Beater!"

"Don't worry," said Albus, "you're a quick learner. You pick it up."

Rose tracked Cameron down after breakfast. She looked up at him helplessly as he laughed.

"There's no quitting once you're on the team," he said before she could speak. "You will attend practice when you're free. You will learn all of the positions, and one day, you will play."

There was no talking back to Cameron Thornton. Rose nodded mutely, and the Quidditch captain walked away.

"So I hear you made the Quidditch team," said Scorpius. He had come up next Rose without her noticing. "Congrats."

"Albus told you?" she guessed.

Scorpius shrugged. "News travels fast around here."

"Your tryouts are today, aren't they?" said Rose, trying to change the subject. "Nervous?"

"Nah," he said. "I'm comfortable flying, and that's all the practice I need."

"Someone's feeling cocky," said Albus as he walked over.

"A healthy dose of confidence never heard anyone," replied Scorpius calmly. "Al, word is that you're in."

"Which means I'll be facing you, soon enough," said Albus with a grin. "Come on, we're going to be late to Evariste's class."

September wore on, bringing large amounts of homework and studying for students. As studious as Rose was, she quickly learned to appreciate sitting in the stands during Quidditch practice, just relaxing. Lysander often joined her, as did Lorcan.

True to his claims, Scorpius had no problem getting onto the Slytherin Quidditch team. "I'm only a Chaser for now," he said confidently, "but I'm going for Seeker in a year or two."

One morning, a note arrived from Professor Evariste.

_I'm making tea this afternoon. You, Albus, and Scorpius are more than welcome to join me._

_All the best,_

_Professor Evariste._

"We're going to see Evariste after Charms," Rose told Albus, setting the notes down. "James, what did you get?"

James held a note on hand. "All it says is _use it well_," he said, confusion on his face. "It's in Dad's handwriting."

"Use it well..." Albus was clearly as confused as his brother. "Use what well?"

Rose was struck with an idea. She took a note from James, lay on the table, and held the tip her wand to it.

"Mischief managed."

The ink faded away until the scrap of parchment was completely clear.

James's eyes widened as Albus laughed.

"He knows you took the map!" said Albus, still laughing.

"At least he didn't seem to care," said Rose as James' face turned from realization to worry. "It's not like he sent a Howler or something."

Classes went slowly, with Rose anticipating the end of dinner. She told Scorpius of the plan during Potions - - then lost five house points for talking while Professor Slughorn was attempting to teach.

They continue to work on Cheering Charms with Professor Flitwick. By the end of the class, Rose was in a very perky frame of mind.

Professor Evariste laughed upon seeing her, bouncing and grinning outside his room. Albus was happier than usual as well - - he had chosen to recount scores from his favorite Quidditch games.

"I'm brewing a batch of calming tea," said Evariste, "which should release some of your... pent-up energy."

"Did you hear about Quidditch?" asked Rose as she flopped down in a lilac armchair. "See, Albus made it, and so did I, though I'm still not quite sure what it all _means_."

Scorpius gave her an exasperated look.

"The tea will be done shortly," Evariste told Scorpius reassuringly. "She'll be back to herself soon."

"Did I tell you I made the Quidditch team?" asked Rose eagerly. "I'm a reserve. I haven't had to fly yet - - thank goodness - - but I will eventually. Have you ever wanted to adopt a dragon?"

A million thoughts swirled around her head. She blurted some out at random, and put them together in a sentence. None of it made much sense, which struck her as funny. She began to giggle like a newborn baby.

"Thank you!" cried Rose as Evariste slid a mug of tea to her. She took a sip immediately. The hot water seared her mouth, causing her to almost spit it out.

"Careful," she warned, "the tea is hot."

Evariste touch the side of her mouth with his wand. "Try it now," he said with a gentle smile.

Rose took a cautious sip and found that the tea had cooled. As she drank, she began to feel herself returning to normal.

"I just wanted to congratulate the lot of you on making your respective Quidditch teams," said Professor Evariste as Rose settled into her chair, blushing faintly as she remembered her erratic actions. "You may talk about whatever you wish, now that you are feeling more yourself."

"Thank you," said Rose, looking into her cup of tea. She watched as the last bits of steam swirled up from her mug, creating interesting and odd shapes in the air.

Albus and Scorpius directed the conversation as Rose relaxed. It was nice, to not be in class, studying, or flying. It almost made her think twice about her loaded schedule—almost.

Quidditch practices increased as October wore on. Rose began to bring her textbooks out to the pitch with her, but she quickly learned that Cameron didn't want her studying lessons when she should been studying flight patterns.

"Here's all of the plans for this year," he said one blustery October day.

Rose took the papers from him and stared down at the moving arrows and miniature people flying about.

"What should I concentrate on?" she asked, already sorting them into piles.

Cameron smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "All of them," he said simply before walking away.

Rose was grateful that her mother had taught her good study habits when she was young. Using a color-coded chart, she was able to balance school, Quidditch, and a smidge of free time.

"I don't know how you manage," groaned Albus one day as he collapsed into a chair in the common room. "How do you not fall behind on your work?"

"I plan while I eat," said Rose, "and I just don't slack off."

Still, by the end of October, Rose was beginning to get a bit worn down. She was glad when Albus told her they had a week off Quidditch practice.

"The Riders are arriving in a few days," he said with a relieved sigh. "McGonagall wants to keep us off the ground as much possible, just in case."

"Works for me," said Rose, flipping through her Charms book. "It'll give you and James time to catch up on all that work you two have been putting off."

Albus glared at her but reached for his book.

The school was abuzz on Halloween morning. McGonagall called all of the students to attention over breakfast.

"As you all know," she called out, "the Riders will be arriving at the school early this afternoon. To ensure all students' safety, common rooms will be locked until the Riders arrive."

James looked confused. "What good will that do?" he asked, brow furrowed.

"We'll be locked in," said Rose tiredly. Even though they had the week off, she had been up all the night before, reviewing Quidditch strategies with Albus and James. The first game was rapidly approaching, and they were all nervous about Cameron's ever-changing game plans.

Albus waited until the announcements were over to speak. "I don't mind one bit," he sighed as breakfast appeared. "I'm planning to go back to bed."

"No," said Rose, "you will first finish that Potions paper that's Slughorn assigned us last week." If she had to work on the paper, she deserved some company.

James looked at them like they were both mad. "Your papers can wait," he objected. "Have you forgotten that the common room has a prime view of the grounds?"

"No one is going to be practicing Quidditch today," groaned Rose, exasperated at James's priorities. "Not even Slytherin."

James snorted derisively. "Rose, Rose, Rose." he said with a condescending sigh. "Have you also forgotten who was arriving later today, so soon after McGonagall speech?"

Rose narrowed her eyes. Why was James talking down to her? Then it all made sense.

"The dragons!" she said, feeling rather slow. "They'll be landing by the forest, won't they?"

James gave her a belittling smile. "Nice of you to catch on," he said.

Albus yawned, stretching his arms up like a cat. "If you insist," he said.

When they reached the common room, Albus fell into one of the large, plush chairs. "Wake me if a dragon's gonna eat me," he murmured wearily, his eyes already fluttering shut.

Rose flipped open her potions textbook and began to examine one of the recipes. Before long, however, she realized that she'd read the same sentence four times. Closing the book, she sighed.

"We're not locked in until after lunch," she told James. "I'm going back to bed for a bit."

Tia Marsh was the only other girl up in the dormitory. "Looks like you had the same idea as me," she said to Rose, clipping back her full, curly hair. "Liam and I want to watch the Riders arrive, but I am beat."

"Same here," said Rose wearily. "Where are the other girls?"

"What, the terrible trilling threesome?" said Tia. "They said something about a love potion, then scampered off."

Rose was not surprised that her other roommates were occupying themselves with love potions, of all things.

It seems like it was only moments later when Tia shook Rose awake. "The boys are hollering up a storm," she said excitedly. "I think it's time."

Rose rush down the staircase to find Albus and James one of the windows. People were crowded around each of the windows, trying to get the Riders. "Come on, but out of the way," said James, clearing the path for Rose through the bundle of students by his window. "Rose, come on."

Rose nudged her way through the crowd until she was sitting in a deep windowsill with Albus and James.

"Thanks," she said James. "Did I miss anything?"

"Just McGonagall and the teachers coming outside," replied James, his eyes still trained on the window.

"We're thinking that they'll come on dragonback," said Albus eagerly. "If they are, McGonagall better get out of the way!"

"I hope one lands on Slughorn," muttered James nastily. His feelings for the Potions master had not changed since the train ride to Hogwarts.

Rose prepared herself for the long wait ahead - - the Riders could arrive anytime up until dinner. Five minutes later, however, the students began to shift.

"It's them!" screamed Domenic Woodard, a boy in Albus' dormitory.

Everyone pushed to get closer to the windows. In a prime seat, Rose was able to see everything as it happened.

Five specks appeared in the late afternoon sky. The spots grew until Rose could make out color and detail. It was indeed of the Riders - - the Riders and their mounts.

The dragons dwarfed their Riders, overpowering the sky with their sheer mass. There were two bright red ones, one mossy green, one brown, and one blue.

"They're huge!" cried a first year.

"Shut up, Pip," said a boy who must've been her older brother.

Rose marveled at the sheer magnificence of such creatures. One of the reds had landed in the field, and his Rider slid off.

McGonagall approached the Rider, but he stopped her before she got close to the dragon. They had a distanced conversation, which ended with the man returning to the dragon.

On command, the dragon knelt down low to the ground and allowed the man to mount him. The man looked up to where the other Riders were circling overhead and began waving his arms, gesturing to the Forbidden Forest.

"They must be keeping them in the forest," said Albus, his eyes wide. "Hope the other creatures don't mind..."

The man returned to the sky, rejoining his friends as they began to fly to the forest.

And they were gone.

Chatter broke out as students melted away from the windows. Rose stay seated, along with Albus and James.

"I want to get on one of those, first chance I get!" said James with excitement.

"Cameron will murder you if you miss Quidditch practice," said Albus sternly.

James shrugged. "That's what Rose is there for, isn't it?"

Albus rolled his eyes as Rose glared at James.

The afternoon wore on slowly. Rose helped Albus with his Potions paper, but every few minutes, her eyes were drawn to portrait hole. She knew that when it opened, there would be a mad rush to get to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast.

Albus was checking the length of his paper when the portrait hole swung open. All of the students turned to stare at it. Professor Evariste climbed through, followed by Nearly-Headless Nick.

"We're not leaving until it is quiet!" Professor Evariste called above the sudden clamor. The noise died down as quickly as it had begun.

"If only it was always so easy to silence them," said Nearly-Headless Nick as he floated towards the ceiling.

Professor Evariste regarded the room silently, looking contemplative.

"I'd like you all to behave tonight," he said seriously. "It will not have my house acting out in front of our guests." He crooked a half smile, then said, "Let's leave that to Slytherin."

The older students and hollered as the younger ones laughed. Rose raised a brow Professor Evariste, who winked.

The Gryffindors followed their house head down to the ground floor and into the Great Hall. The Ravenclaws were already there, backs straight and hands folded on their table.

James mocked their stance as he sat, but everyone else was concentrated on the head table. Five new places were set, but only four of them were filled.

The man whom they had seen earlier sat by Professor McGonagall's side in the place of honor. He had dark hair pulled back into a ponytail that looked to hang down to the base of his back. On his left were two olive skinned people, a man and woman. They were seated by a burly man, whose muscles matched his broad structure.

The Hufflepuffs began to filter in, and a man slid alongside them. He broke away from the students and walked slowly towards the head table. He walked with a limp - - one of his legs seems to be moving more easily than the other.

"Marco!" cried the man by McGonagall 's side. "You have made it!"

"Just got off of the train," said Marco quietly. He didn't need to raise his voice; the entire room was silent.

"Up over here!" said the burly man, patting the empty seat. "We're just waiting for another group of students, then Giovanni will start us off."

As Marco took a seat, the Slytherins arrived. Professor Slughorn had an unpleasant expression on his face as he led his students to their table.

"My apologies to our guests," he said, his voice tight and clearly aggravated. "Some of my students don't know the meaning of _locked in their dormitory_."

Professor McGonagall sighed and shot the Slytherins an exasperated look. "We shall discuss this later," she said. "I believe that Giovanni has something to say, correct?"

Giovanni stood, and the room in silence. "Good evening, all of you," he said with a grin. "You all do not know how excited I am for us to be here."

"Not half as excited as we are," muttered James.

"I will not take too long," continued Giovanni, "but I would like to let you all know that there will be an informational meeting after dinner tomorrow. Anyone who is interested in riding should attend."

With a rueful grin, Giovanni sat. Everyone was uncertain if they should clap or not. Finally, the decision was made for them. Food filled the orange platters, and the feast began.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"I wonder if they're gonna fly in."

"Don't be silly, Briar. They can't _fly_ in the castle."

"I wish they could."

Rose flipped the page of _Dragonic Mannerisms_ and tried to tune out the babble around her. She knew people were excited about the Riders, but couldn't they be excited a bit more quietly?

A tap on her shoulder once again broke her concentration. She turned and said, "Do you mind?"

Scorpius gave her an odd look. "Someone didn't sleep well," he grumbled.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'm just - -"

"Impatient," inserted Scorpius. "Yeah, I get that impression. Where's Al?"

"Right here," said Albus as he slid in next to Scorpius. "James is all pissed that you're here, by the way."

Scorpius shrugged. "No one said we had to sit by house tonight," he pointed out.

The main doors opened with a bang. Giovanni, clad in what appeared to be work robes, entered first. He was flanked by the burly man and man with olive skin. The woman followed them slowly, helping Marco as they went to the front of the room.

Once they all stood at the front of the room, Rose realized that all five Riders matched. They were each clad in black leather accented with red and purple. All wore leather gloves accept Marco, whose gloves looked to be soft silk.

"Greetings!" called Giovanni. "It is a pleasure to see you all once more. Quite a crowd, is it not?"

To Rose's estimation, nearly all the students were in the Great Hall. She knew that some of them were not interested in riding, but who could resist a meeting like this?

"I believe it is time for introductions to be made," continued Giovanni. "To my left are Maria and Rodolfo Miranzi."

The olive skinned pair waved, and Rose wondered if they were married or brother and sister.

"Next we have the enormous Schunverri - -" The burly man grinned. "- - and Marco Falicci."

The man with the limp gave a small wave that matched his reserved smile. He was the first to sit on one of the stools lined up behind the Riders. The others sat after him, settling themselves in.

"This is meant to just be a short, informative meeting," said Giovanni, his position relaxed. "The real work will come with the beginning of lessons. This meeting is only a warning."

Albus looked at Rose worriedly. She shrugged, not knowing of what Giovanni spoke.

"Riding is not to be taken lightly," continued Giovanni, his voice suddenly serious. "There are many risks involved. Deadly risks."

The students shifted uncomfortably. What did he mean by that, risks?

"We have lost Riders in the past," explained Giovanni, "and we are prepared to lose Riders in the future. I will tell you this now - - if you are not ready, you will not ride. If you are not careful, you will not ride. If you do not listen to our instructions,_ you will not ride."_

"Now now," said the woman - - Maria, Rose recalled," no need to start on an ugly note. We are thankful to be where we are. In this life, and in the school."

Giovanni chuckled and shook his head. "Maria, who will be in charge of telling you about the end of term race we shall be conducting."

Maria combed through her dark hair with her fingers as she spoke. "I am, as Giovanni stated, in charge of the race that will be held at the end of the year," she said. "Now, this race was difficult to get your Ministry to approve, so listen carefully!

"I, along with my fellow Riders, will be selecting one student from each house. They will compete in something like an aerial obstacle course, with the first finished being the winner."

"The prize," Rodolfo reminded her.

"I was getting there!" she said, sticking her tongue out at him. "The prize is an opportunity to fly with us for part of our summer tour."

"That's... wow," whispered Rose, shocked. "Their summer tours are pretty big deal."

"They're a huge deal!" said Scorpius excitedly. He and Rose had combed through all the books on dragons together. There have been occasional mentions of the Riders, mainly about their exhibitions.

"I'm glad to see you're also excited about this," said Giovanni, quieting the room. "Lessons will begin on November eleventh, which should give our dragons long enough to settle into their new grounds. Until then, keep up with your studies. I look forward to teaching all of you. _Bueno vivra!_"

Rose, Albus, and Scorpius got separated in the massive throng of people. Rose made her way to the grand staircase in hopes of being able to see them.

Someone tapped her shoulder. Rose spun to see Lorcan, his face partially obscured by a tall stack of books.

"Lorcan, what are you up to now?" she asked, taking some of the topmost books. _Unfogging the Future_ caught her attention. All of the books were about psychics - - _Have You Seen This Seer_; _Focusing Your Inner Eye_; _Modern Seeing Miracles_.

"Just came from her Trelawney's room," he explained, eyes bright with excitement. "She's assigned me all sorts of extra projects and books. She really thinks I have power!"

"And I agree," said Rose. Lorcan's powers have never led her astray. "Did you miss the meeting?"

Lorcan shrugged, which made his pile of books wobbled precariously. "I suppose I have," he said. "Shame. Well, I won't be flying anyway. Mum says I need to concentrate on Trelawney's lessons."

"Come on," said Rose, giving up on finding Albus and Scorpius, "let's get these into your common room."

It was the second time that Rose had made the trip to the Ravenclaw common room. The tower was opposite Gryffindor Tower. The pair received many odd looks from the Ravenclaw students who were headed for their common room.

Rose and Lorcan hung back from the other students, weighed down by the many books. They turned at the final corner to find Louis Weasley snogging Arianna Clearwater.

Lorcan cleared his throat loudly, and the couple jumped apart.

"Lorcan," groaned Louis, "do you have to sneak up on people like that?"

"Hi, Rose!" said Arianna cheerfully, not at all bashful at the position she had been caught in. "Helping Lorcan with his Divination work, I see."

"Only carrying some books for him," admitted Rose. "I really don't know the first thing about Divination."

"Trust me," said Arianna, "it's better that way. It's killer when you get to your OWL year."

"Speaking of OWLs," Louis chimed in, "if I'm not back to the common room pronto, Dominique is going to launch into one of her responsibility lectures."

"I'll miss you," said Arianna softly.

Louis leaned in for a slow, sweet kiss.

"I'll see you in the morning," he said quietly.

Arianna took the stack of books from Rose. "I'll get these," she said. "Come on, Lorcan. Let's go in."

Once Arianna and Lorcan were gone, Louis sighed and leaned against the wall. He had a far-off expression; he was clearly deep in thought

"You coming?"

This seemed to pull him out of his reverie. "We'd better hurry," he said.

Dominique was, indeed, waiting just beyond the portrait hole. "Where were you?" she asked as soon as the Fat Lady swung closed. "You should be - -"

"Studying, I know," said Louis tensely. "I walked Arianna backed her common room."

"_She_ should be studying too," snapped Dominique. "Your OWLs are not be taken lightly, Louis."

"I'm going to bed," said Louis sharply. "Good night, Rose."

He stomped up the stairs and disappeared into his dormitory. Dominique sighed and flopped down in one of the chairs.

"I just want him to do well," she said softly to no one. "Is that too much to ask?"

Rose marveled at how Dominique had changed over the past year. She had always been carefree and fun, unlike her strict older sister, Victoire.

She brought it up to Albus and James over breakfast the next day.

"I figure she's stressed over her NEWTs," said Albus.

"I feel bad for Louis," said James, between bites. "I mean, he had to quit the Quidditch team for his OWL year. Quidditch was everything to him."

That reminded Rose - - the first game of the Quidditch season was only days away. By the look on Albus' face, he had just remembered as well.

"Monday," he groaned. "We have until Monday to get everything set."

"We'll pull through," said James confidently. "After all, the team does have me." He finished the statement was a cocky grin.

The rest of the team seemed to take Albus' view on the matter. Cameron had them out on the field all weekend. They returned to the castle only to eat or take short naps.

After dinner on Sunday, Albus clung desperately to the table.

"I am exhausted," he said as James glared at him. "I need to sleep. Am I the only one who remembers we have a game tomorrow?"

"I'm so glad I'm sitting out," said Rose earnestly.

"Yeah," said Albus, "until one of us drops dead of exhaustion."

The next morning came all too soon. Rose had not gone to bed until well after midnight. Cameron had to admit defeat when there was absolutely no light left.

"Eat," she ordered Albus as he sat at the Gryffindor table. His face was pale and his eyes were dull.

"Not hungry," he grunted, then put his head on the table.

James seem to have a healthy appetite. He ate enough food for both he and his brother, then filled hus plate with thirds.

"Aren't you even a bit nervous for the game?" Rose asked him in disbelief. "Even a little bit?"

James shrugged. "Well, either we win or we don't," he said. "Either I catch the Snitch or I don't. It's not like we have more time to practice."

The very thought of more practice made Rose's head ache. She had flown for a bit during the final practice section, filling in so Albus could take a break.

Cameron was waiting when Rose, Albus, and James made their way down to the pitch. Dominique was already there, discussing one of the latest plans Cameron had distributed the night before.

"I think it'll work, as long as all three of them move together," said Dominique with a sharp nod. "I'll be in place when I see them dive."

The rest of the team filtered in, each face wearing the same exhausted expression. Even Cameron's usual enthusiasm was lacking.

"We've had one exhausting weekend," he told his team, "but still, we have prevailed."

Dominique was the only one paying Cameron rapt attention. The rest of the team was leaning against the back wall, their eyelids drooping. James was studying his fingernails as Albus' head lolled back against the wall.

Rose stopped paying attention after a few minutes. She was relieved to see that all the team members were present. She would be able to sit on the side of the field, safe on the ground.

When Madame Hooch's warning whistle went off, the team rose as one. Cameron opened his mouth as if he had one last phrase of inspiration, then closed it silently. With a curt nod, the team paraded onto the field.

Rose snuck off to the side of the field as the others walked to the center of the pitch. There was a bench on the side where Lorcan and Lysander were sitting.

"Didn't expect to see you here," said Rose mildly, relieved to have company.

"Nice robe," said Lorcan earnestly. "I like how the gold goes with the red."

Rose couldn't tell if he was joking or not.

"Come on," said Lysander, "sit down. The game's about to begin."

"I never knew you cared for Quidditch," said Rose, raising a brow Lysander.

"I don't," he replied easily. "I do, however, support my house. That, and I wanted to see how Albus and James do."

"I'll be surprised if they don't soon collapse from exhaustion," said Rose, honestly. "Cameron's been flying them nonstop for days."

"James - -"

Lysander was cut off by a loud round of cheers from the stands. They had missed the opening remarks. The game had begun.

Rose had a bit of trouble keeping track of the game. It was nothing like practice - - the players moved almost too quickly for her to see. The Quaffle passed from team to team often, and sometimes violently.

"A foul shot for Gryffindor!" called the commentator. Rose recognized her voice but couldn't see her face. "A brief reminder for Dulan- taking the Beater's bat and attacking another player is illegal and constitutes a foul."

Rose watched as Albus took a shot. The Quaffle shot through the center ring easily. Rose cheer for the other Gryffindors, ignoring the booing of the Slytherins.

Scorpius was easy enough to spot. His pale blond hair stood out as it was hit by the sun. He circled overhead, then swooped down to intercept the Quaffle.

"I've never seen Scorpius fly before," remarked Lysander. "He is... quite good."

"He's amazing," said Rose, "but he hates showing off."

"He's better than he was during Slytherin's practices," added Lorcan. "I watched a few of them from Trelawney's room."

Scorpius scored in the left ring while Dominique guarded the right one. The Slytherins cheered, and even Rose cracked a grin. Though he was on a different team, Scorpius was still a friend.

The game seemed to close to the end when James made a sudden dive. The Slytherin seeker, a boy by the name of Rowlen, followed suit. They were neck and neck -

Then James slammed into the ground and tumbled off his broom. He rolled twice before righting himself. The other Seeker was already back in the air, reaching for what must've been the Golden Snitch.

In an instant, James was back on his broom and up in the air. He flew directly up into the sky, passing Albus, who once again had the Quaffle.

James shot in arm out as he made a sharp turn. His hand closed - the shrill whistle was sounded - and like that, the game was over.

"And Gryffindor takes the first victory of the year," cried the commentator. "James Potter catches the Snitch, earning his team 150 points!"

Rose, Lysander, and Lorcan stood and cheered along with the other Gryffindors. The team landed and began to hug each other, laughing and cheering. James was in the center of all the attention, showing the Snitch to his teammates.

Rose rushed over to join the celebration. Albus hugged her, a grin spreading across his face.

"We won!" he cried happily. "We won, and I scored! Three times!"

Rose hugged him again. "Congratulations, Albus!"

The festivities moved inside, where the Gryffindors returned to the room. They were plates of biscuits and tarts waiting for them when they all pushed through the portrait hole.

"Food!" rejoiced James, swooping down on one of the trays immediately.

Seeing how quickly the room was filling up, Rose began to back towards the girls' dormitory. She tapped Albus on the shoulder to say that she was headed up for bad, then climbed the stairs wearily. It was time to make up for weekend's worth of lost sleep.

**A/N: I'm really so sorry about the, what was it, 3 week lag on this chapter? I've been scattered in between so many different projects, including one from another favorite fandom of mine, The Hunger Games! :) I'm just going to talk about it for a minute here, so if you're not into that fandom, feel free to poof away now. xD**

**So along with writing, I'm really into music. My sister and I have formed a group called District 13, which writes and performs music inspired by the Hunger Games trilogy. Think wrock from Harry Potter, only Hunger Games style. :) We have a Facebook page here: .com/#!/pages/District-13/197148743638238**

**A twitter: /#!/District13Tunes**

**A youtube, which contains all of our music: .com/user/District13Music**

**And to contact us by email, just send a line over to . **

**Thanks for everyone who took the time to read my little blurb. For my strictly HP fans, stay vigilant. And Hunger Games lovies, may the odds be ever in your favor!**


	9. Chapter 9

Rose stood with Albus and Scorpius at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. They were in a group with over a hundred other students, all of whom were waiting for Giovanni to emerge. The buzz of conversation filled the cool November air.

"I'm telling you," said Rose with exasperation, "we won't be riding during the first lesson. It would be completely and utterly mad."

"And wicked cool," added Albus. "C'mon, Rose, you know you want to try it out."

Rose hated to admit it even to herself, but what Albus said was true. There was something about climbing onto such a magnificent creature and taking off into the sky—it intrigued her.

I really don't see your logic," said Scorpius thoughtfully. "I mean, you say you're terrified of flying—"

"I never said I was _terrified_," objected Rose. "I think Quidditch is a quite useless sport, to be honest."

"Which is why you're on the team," said Albus, one brow raised.

"I hate brooms, alright?" snapped Rose, her temper flaring. "Albus, you were there. You should know."

Albus immediately looked down. "I'm sorry, Rosie," he said ashamedly, using his childhood nickname for her. "I didn't mean to push you."

"What happened?" asked Scorpius tentatively. "Why do you hate brooms so much?"

"It is none of your business," said Rose sharply.

At that moment, the Riders began to emerge from the trees. Rose, her face hot with anger, walked away from Albus and Scorpius. She took a spot at the front of the crowd.

"Good afternoon!" said Giovanni, his voice carrying over all the students. "I am very pleased to see you all here. Are you prepared to ride a dragon?"

There was silence.

"I said, are you prepared to ride a dragon?"

A few half-hearted cries Rose out of the crowd.

"We have no room for slackers in the Riders!" Giovanni was now pacing in front of them. "I said, are you ready to ride a dragon?"

The students cheered their assent.

Giovanni stopped pacing as suddenly as he had begun.

"Then you are all prepared to die."

Rose had remained silent during the entire exchange. Her reward was a curt nod and brief eye contact from Giovanni. She silently rejoiced—she loved recognition for her actions.

"This is not a game," continued Giovanni as he resumed pacing. "This is not a foolish flying sport. You mount wrong? You die. You give the wrong command? You die. You lose concentration? You die.

"I expect to see half this number at our next lesson. Half. Thanks to our safety laws, it will _not_ be because they are dead. May you all think on that for a time."

The students were still and silent as Giovanni returned to the line of Riders. The olive-skinned man stepped forward to address them next.

"I am glad to have such a raptly attentive audience," the man joked. "I am Rodolfo Miranzi, and it is my responsibility to help you learn the technical aspects of dragonic flight. We will start with anatomy. Now, who can tell me what anatomy is?"

They worked until the bell rang for lunch. Rose reviewed her neat notes—they contained various diagrams and explanations about the internal workings of a dragon.

Rose repacked her bag and headed up to the castle. She said nothing as she sat across the table from Albus. He met her silence with his own.

"Rose," he said a few minutes into the meal, "could you please pass me the salt?"

"Sure."

She handed it to him and met his gaze. Sighing quietly, she nodded. After all, he hadn't meant to bring up a sensitive topic.

They found out the next day that Riding lessons were only on the weekends. Rose was far from bored, however. Cameron took their Quidditch victory as inspiration to work harder.

Practices soon changed for Rose. She sat in her usual spot in the stands Monday evening, spreading her books out around her. She was about to begin her Transfiguration assignment when a shadow fell on her book.

"Grab a broom," ordered Cameron. "You're no use to the team if you've never been trained. Come on, then."

Rose was frozen for a moment. But then Cameron handed her a broom and she automatically grabbed onto the handle. She left her schoolbooks lying open on the stands and climbed down to join the rest of the team.

Albus gave her a reassuring smile. "Good to see you on your feet," he joked. "Come to join the lowly ranks of the ordinary players?"

She glared at him. "Sounds thrilling," she said.

Cameron counted up all of the players. Seeing that the entire team was present, he smiled.

"Rose," he said, "you will be playing as a Chaser for today. I want you to team up with Albus—you two work well together. Dominique, you'll be their Keeper. James, you're Keeper for Mink and Will."

"I'll take James' team," offered Patricia Longgrass, the other Beater.

"Perfect," said Cameron. "I'll team up with the other side. Everybody, take to the sky!"

Rose pushed off next to Albus and shot up ten feet into the air. She took a moment to steady herself, not wanting to topple off.

"We're playing a scrimmage," explained Albus. "A sort of phony game. The practice balls are a bit weaker than the real ones, but they serve their purpose well."

They seemed strong enough to Rose. She made her judgment of them as she lay flat on her back after having fallen from her broom for the fourth time.

"It's alright," said Albus consolingly as he helped Rose to her feet. "I fall off all the time."

"No you don't," groaned Rose. "I watch you fly every day. You haven't fallen in years."

At the end of the practice, every muscle in Rose's body felt like it was on fire. She limped back to the castle, resisting the urge to use Albus or James as a support. If she was going to do this, she would do this _her_ way.

Unfortunately, that meant hours of pushing her body past its limits each night during Quidditch practice. After that, she would finish any schoolwork she needed for the next morning. All in all, she was averaging five hours of sleep per night.

It was a relief when Saturday arrived.

"No Quidditch," she sighed happily over breakfast. "A morning of dragons, but no bloody Quidditch."

"I wouldn't be surprised if Cameron scheduled practice for this afternoon," moaned Albus miserably. "Rose, I'm too tired for dragons today. You'll have to go without me."

James and Scorpius passed her off with the same excuse.

"Lisatt has us flying dawn and dusk. I'm practically nocturnal at this point," said Scorpius wearily. "We were up nearly all night. Special Friday night practice." He punctuated the statement with a moan.

Rose ended up making the walk down to the edge of the Forbidden Forest alone. She arrived early; there was only a handful of other students.

Witherwings sat tethered to Hagrid's hut. Rose approached the Hippogriff slowly and bowed low. After a moment, Witherwings returned the gesture.

Rose closed the distance between her and Witherwings, who allowed her to pet him. She stretched the feathers under the Hippogriff's neck. They were warm and soft to the touch.

She didn't notice someone coming up behind her until Witherwings' eyes locked on something over her shoulder. She turned quickly and saw Schunverri a few feet away.

"He'll attack if you don't bow," she warned the burly man as Witherwings began to paw at the ground anxiously. "He's kind, but terribly formal."

The large man bowed deeply, swinging his cloak out with one arm. After a long moment of consideration, Witherwings returned the bow.

"Thank you for the warning," said Schunverri as he began to stroke Witherwings' back. "We have encountered many a prideful beauts along our travels, but never before a Hippogriff. What is this beauty's name?"

"Witherwings," supplied Rose. "He belongs to—well, he's taken care of by Hagrid. He doesn't really belong to anyone, I suppose."

Schunverri nodded thoughtfully. "Good man, that Hagrid is," he said. "Very interested in the dragons. Relatively knowledgeable, too. Good man."

Another Rider came up next to Schunverri. It was Marco Falicci, the one with the limp. He did not bow or offer any other kindness to Witherwings. He simply lay a hand on Schunverri's shoulder, then walked away.

Schunverri found more significance in the gesture than Rose did.

"Time to start the lesson," he said to Rose. They both bowed slightly to Witherwings, then returned to the others.

The lesson was, once again, taught by Rodolfo. They began by reviewing dragon anatomy, which was covered in the _Monster Book of Monsters, Edition Three_.

"I know they're a bit tricky to manage," said Rodolfo as one of the books flew away, "Still, they're one of the better sources for beginners."

Though Rose was only at her second lesson, she didn't think of herself as a beginner. She had been reading through the books Madame Abott had given her. Some of them were old fashioned—how to slay a dragon, guide to eating dragon meat—but most were quite helpful.

Giovanni arrived as Rodolfo was ending the lesson. "Small group," he said approvingly. "You'll get more accomplished this way."

"Time for lunch," said Schunverri as he stretched. At that moment, the bell rang, echoing down from the castle.

"Class dismissed, I suppose," said Rodolfo.

Rose pulled a length of string from her bag. She knew that she had to tie down the book's wings or it would fly right out of her bag.

"Let me help," said a voice next to Rose. Another set of hands pinned the wings to the book's cover, allowing Rose to tie them down.

She lifted her head to thank her helper, only to be face with two pairs of bright blue eyes.

"Gemma!" cried Rose. "Genna!"

The Gemini had returned to Hogwarts.

Gemma laughed, and the sound was so familiar. It was as if the summer had not occurred. Rose felt like a first year again, trying to help Dmitri with the Triwizard Tournament.

"Good morning, Rose," said Gemma.

"Afternoon, really."

"But it's only lunchtime—"

"—and lunch begins the afternoon."

"But she has not yet gone to lunch."

Rose's stomach grumbled. She had opted for a shorter breakfast in order to gain some more sleep.

"I'm hungry," she told the Gemini. "Are you coming to lunch?"

The question seemed to confuse them. They looked at each other, each the mirror reflection of the other. The only difference was a length of red string around Gemma's wrist.

"I suppose we are," said Gemma. It was the first time Rose had heard either Gemini sound uncertain. "Sister, are you hungry?"

"I suppose I am," said Genna.

"It's settled, them. Rose, you may lead the way."

"The staircases have probably changed since last year."

"They must have indeed. Rose, how is Mina doing?"

"I meant to ask you about her," said Rose. "Did you really send her to me?"

Gemma shrugged. "Every great witch needs a pet. I hear your owl disappeared."

Rose couldn't be surprised—she was used to the Gemini knowing everything and then some.

"Yes," she said, "she did. Mum says that she hasn't returned to the house, either."

Gemma nodded but did not press the subject.

"Interesting folk, these Riders," she said instead. "You seemed to enjoy the lesson."

"More so than some other the others," said Genna. "You should sell those notes of yours. Could make a tidy profit."

"Maybe the ladies at Enchanting Enhancements would care to take them on."

Rose was also not surprised that the Gemini knew about Enchanting Enhancements. "They would love to have the two of you join them," she told the pair. "You could keep them out of trouble."

Gemma laughed. "But we're so much happier watching out for _you_," she said. "Like now, for instance."

"Now?" Rose's heart began to thud. "What do you mean, now?"

The Gemini exchanged a sneaky look. "We're your alibi, of course," said Gemma.

"Of course."

"Without a doubt."

"We've been interviewing you about the dragons."

"All this time."

"Since the lesson ended, in fact."

"Otherwise you might've been caught on your way back into the castle."

"Nasty, that would have been."

"Especially—"

Gemma was cut short. A loud roar interrupted her words. Rose was reminded of the time she had visited Uncle Charlie at work in Romania.

It was the angry roar of a dragon.

"Oh, drat," said Gemma with a childish pout. "Sister, we're a smidge too late."

"It appears that we are."

Someone grabbed Rose's arm and yanked on it. Toppling to the ground, she automatically began to fight her captor's grip.

"Hush!" the man snapped. She managed to turn her head and see that it was Schunverri.

"What—"

"Hush!"

The Gemini lay on the ground next to Rose, ignoring the bits of grass and dirt that clung to their robes. Both were unnaturally silent as they looked to the sky.

A large dragon, the blue one, soared by overhead. Directly following it was a man on a broomstick. Rose guessed by what she could see that it was Giovanni.

The dragon roared again as it swept down near the castle. Rose gasped; one of the wings had come precariously close to Gryffindor Tower.

Moments later, another dragon rose out of the trees. This one was ridden by Maria. She balanced perfectly on the green dragon's back and quickly gained on the other.

Schunverri stood, but motioned for Rose to remain down. He jogged away from them to the top of a small hill. Then, he waited.

Rose watched as Maria began to toss ropes out at the rogue dragon. The ropes twisted around the dragon's legs, drawing it closer to her.

Schunverri began to wave his arms wildly. Maria tossed the ropes down to him, and he began to pull.

"Time for us to move," whispered Gemma. She and Genna began to crawl away from Schunverri. Rose followed, glancing over her shoulder to watch the action unfold.

Schunverri's arm muscles bulged as he tugged on the ropes. The dragon resisted, but Maria continued to throw ropes around it. Slowly, Schunverri pulled the angry dragon towards the ground.

Rose watched in awe as the gigantic dragon was grounded. Schunverri kept a tight grip on the ropes, not relaxing once the dragon was on the ground.

There was no anticipating Schunverri's next move. Using the ropes as leverage, he flung himself atop the dragon. The ropes suddenly became reins that the man could use to steer the dragon.

The dragon shot back into the sky. Rose could hear Schunverri's shouted orders, but the words themselves were lost to the wind.

Schunverri seemed to be winning the fight between dragon and Rider. He managed to steer the dragon back over the trees, into which they both disappeared.

After a moment of silence, Gemma and Genna popped up to their feet. Rose stood as well, looking around in wonder.

"That was interesting," said Gemma thoughtfully.

"Indeed."

"I wonder—"

"I don't."

"What _was_ that?" asked Rose. Her mind was quickly reviewing what had just transpired. "How did the dragon get away?"

"They're not tethered—"

"Nor chained nor fenced in."

That surprised Rose. "They just let the dragons roam around?"

"They're incredibly well-trained," said Gemma, glancing at the forest. "No restraints are needed."

"Obviously they are!" objected Rose.

Gemma froze, then looked to Rose. "We need to get you inside," she said, "and we need to hurry."

"We're too late," said Genna seriously. "They're already closing down all of the rooms. She should be in her common room."

"I—why do I need to—" stuttered Rose, trying to gather her thoughts together.

"You need to get inside the castle," said Gemma quickly, her bright eyes darting around to take in the scene. "Now. Go!"

Rose took only a moment's pause before throwing her bag over her shoulder and starting towards the castle. She scanned the large stone wall, looking for a door of any kind. When she arrived, however, she found the wall suspiciously blank.

"Rose!" called a familiar voice. Rose looked around—then she heard it again. "Rose!"

She spotted a figure handing out of one of the towers. The voice suddenly fell into her memory.

"Lorcan?"

"Rose, catch!" he cried. He threw a crumpled bit of parchment out of the tower. It floated down to land in front of Rose's feet.

She bent down and unfolded the note. But it wasn't a note—it was a drawing.

The back of a girl's head was partially seen in the bottom left corner. The main focus of the drawing was the outline of a door in a stone wall.

Rose looked up. The stone wall of the school sat in front of her—and there, wasn't that a missing stone?

She consulted the drawing. There was indeed a stone missing from the bottom of the door. There was also one word: James.

"James!" called Rose, pounding her fists against the wall. It felt like solid stone, not a door at all. "James! _James!_"

With one last pound, the wall swung open. And there was James, balancing a tray of biscuits in one hand.

"Rose?" he said, looking baffled. "Rose, what—"

She pushed past him to enter the room. "No time," she said. "Wait for—"

But the Gemini had vanished.

"Close the door," she said instead. "Hurry!"

James closed the door, still looking perplexed. "Rose, will you tell me what's going on?"

But Rose was busy looking around the room. Wide-eyed, she realized where she was.

"Would Miss care for a drink?"

She was in the kitchens.

"Rose!"

James tugged on her sleeve. Rose turned, her attention yanked away from the house elves scurrying around her feet.

"One of the dragons got free," she explained quickly. "The Gemini told me they're not tied down—"

"Wait," said James, "the Gemini were there? The freaky little witch twins?"

"Yes," said Rose, "and they told me I _had_ to get inside."

This confused James. "Why do you _have_ to be inside?" he asked.

Rose sighed. "Don't you see?"

"Obviously not."

"Something agitated that dragon," she said hurriedly, "right after our lesson. They'll be trying to figure out who was there when they shouldn't have been. If I was locked outside—"

"You would be a prime suspect," said James, narrowing his eyes keenly. "I see. Wait—how did you know there was a door there? _I_ didn't even notice it until I heard you!"

"Lorcan was up in the Divination tower," explained Rose. "He threw me down a sketch."

She showed him the drawing, pointing out his name scrawled in the bottom right-hand corner.

"I got very, very lucky," said Rose, putting the drawing away.

"I think you're more than lucky at this point," muttered James. "Well, welcome to the kitchens, I suppose."

"Excuse me, Miss," said a voice from below. Rose looked down; an elaborately dressed house elf stood before her, holding a long tray. A full pitcher sat on each end, which appeared to keep it all balanced.

"Er—hello," said Rose slowly.

"Twinkle would like to offer Rosaline Weasley all of our best, miss," said the house-elf in a high, sweet voice. "Twinkle was selected for the honour of serving Rosaline Weasley personally."

"I—er—I'm not really hungry," said Rose uncomfortably. "That's very sweet of you, though."

Twinkle's eyes widened. "Miss would not like any of the food or drink prepared?" she said, sounding confused. "Twinkle believed all friends of James Potter sir to be very hungry indeed, miss."

"She's a bit different than Louis or Dominic," said James with a grin. "Besides, we should be—"

"_Attention all students!"_

Rose started. Professor McGonagall's voice filled the room as if she was speaking from only feet away.

"_You are to remain in your classrooms or dormitories until further notice. No one is to exit or enter until cleared to do so by their house head. Thank you all for your cooperation."_

Rose waited, but that was the end of the message. She looked at James, who appeared to be as worried as she.

"We're dead," groaned James. "Dead!"

"Not necessarily," said Rose, doing her best to remain calm. "You've been here the whole time. You should be safe."

"Oh yeah, because sneaking into the kitchens is _just_ what I was supposed to be doing."

Rose ignored him. She had to concentrate. "We'll be marked as missing," she said, "and then what? A full search of the castle?"

"We can use the map!" exclaimed James. "That way, we can avoid any teachers that are out and about."

"Theoretically," said Rose. "But we could just as easily get cornered."

"I don't get it," said James suddenly. "Why are they putting the castle on lockdown?"

"One of the dragons lost control," repeated Rose slowly. "They are trained to never fly without a Rider. The lockdown means that Professor McGonagall and the Riders think that a student was somehow involved. If someone is locked outside the castle, they will automatically be a suspect."

"But you said you were with the Gemini," James pointed out. "Couldn't they be your alibi?"

"They disappeared," said Rose glumly. "So now we just wait to get caught."

James grinned eagerly. "_Or_ we go outside and—"

"We are _not_ climbing up Gryffindor Tower," said Rose, seeing where her cousin's plan was heading. "Don't be ridiculous."

He made a face and turned to Twinkle, who had been standing there, waiting patiently during the conversation.

"We may be here for a while," he warned her. "Do you have any more of those sticky rolls?"

"Twinkle will check, sir," said Twinkle, tripping over her feet to scurry away.

"I can't believe there are still house-elves at Hogwarts," murmured Rose, watching the elves bustle around the kitchen. "Wasn't McGonagall trying to find other workers?"

"Doesn't look like she did too well," said James quietly. "Why are they all wearing those… er… outfits?"

"I don't know," admitted Rose. "Clothes typically mean that they're free."

She looked around and noticed that all of the house elves were clothed in an assortment of odd outfits. Some wore miniature breeches and top hats, while others wore dresses hidden by bulky robes.

"It's like a group of really tiny wizards," whispered James as two house elves in bright green bowlers passed by.

Rose tried to remember what her mother had taught her about house-elves. They had been working at Hogwarts for years, since before Hermione had attended.

"They're hard workers," Hermione had told Rose. "They don't all want to be free, though. Oddly enough, they're happy."

James pulled Rose out of her thoughts. "Rose?" he said, tugging on her sleeve. "Rose, look!"

Rose shifted her attention to the large sheet of parchment James had unfolded. It was the Marauder's Map.

"Where are we?" she asked, scanning the map for the kitchen.

"Here."

There they were—Rosaline Weasley and James Potter, alone in the kitchen. Rose set aside the realization that the house-elves did not show up on the map. Instead, she concentrated on another figure.

"James," she said slowly, "James, put that away."

"But—"

"Now!" she insisted. But she knew there was nowhere to go.

Before James was able to stow away the map, the main door swung open.

"Making a bit of mischief, are we?"

It was Professor Evariste.


	10. Chapter 10

Professor Evariste smiled congenially as a flood of house-elves rushed to greet him.

"Hello, Clovey," he said, greeting one of the house-elves kindly. "Some tea will do for now, thank you."

The house elves scattered, all hurrying to brew some tea. Professor Evariste sat on a nearby stool and sighed contentedly.

"This was always one of my favorite places to hide away when I was a boy," he said, seemingly speaking to no one in particular. "I'd come down here to read a new book or study for exams. There was never a lack of food or good company.

"You know," he continued, "I'm so glad we decided on a spot of tea together. Shame that I ran out of tea leaves and had to visit the kitchen to pick some more up. Any idea why we're on lockdown?"

Rose glanced at James. He looked as if his lips were sealed shut.

"I saw it happen," said Rose tentatively. "One of the dragons took off over the ground. They had to pull it down in order for Schunverri to mount."

Professor Evariste nodded, looking thoughtful. "Interesting," he said at last. "It's a relief the two of you were with me, now, isn't it?"

Rose nodded mutely. She wasn't sure why he was protecting them, but that didn't matter for the moment. What mattered was that he was doing it.

"Now," said Evariste, "we ought to deliver the two of you to your common room. They—we—are trying to account for every student."

He stood, straightening his robes, and looked around the room. "Clovey," he called out.

One of the house-elves scurried over. "Hazen Evariste's tea is almost ready, sir," she quipped. "Is Mister Evariste wanting anything else? Some biscuits for his friends?"

"We're actually in a bit of a hurry," said Evariste, "but we'll come back one day to take you up on your offer."

Clovey bowed deeply as another house-elf handed Evariste a steaming mug. "Thank you much for coming, sir. Sir, Miss," she said, nodding to Rose and James. "Hoping to see you again!"

Professor Evariste tapped the mug with his wand before exiting the kitchen. He took a sip and smiled.

"Nothing like a freshly brewed mug of tea," he said. "Come on, let's get the two of you up to Gryffindor Tower."

Rose looked around as she stepped through the large portrait hole. She wasn't sure what floor they were on, though she would have to guess it was the first or second.

"Let's see, exactly where to bring you…" Professor Evariste tapped the side of his mug again. "Professor McGonagall may still be in her office."

"If you're here," said Rose, struck by a thought, "then who took a list of all the Gryffindor students?"

"Hrm.…" Professor Evariste paused, looking thoughtful. "That is a very good question. We may want to hurry along to McGonagall's office."

Their group passed other teachers in the corridors. Some gave Rose and James skeptical looks, but others just bustled on by.

"Here we are," said Professor Evariste. They had arrived at a statue of an owl on a pedestal. "Now, for the password… The password…"

Rose stared at Evariste. "You don't remember the password?" she said, disbelieving.

"Curry powder!" he cried. "Curry powder. You see, we were planning the welcome feast—"

But the owl statue had slid back to reveal a spiral staircase.

"Well, then," said Evariste, "let's just head on up, now."

At the top of the staircase stood a large wooden door. Professor Evariste raised his hand to knock, then paused. A conversation was filtering through.

"They are _not_ dangerous!" cried a woman. Rose quickly identified the accent as belonging to Maria, the only female among the Riders. "They will _not_ hurt the students!"

"Sister, Isla's environment was tampered with." The second voice was Rodolfo's. "There were clear footprints. Someone was there."

"And I assure you," said Professor McGonagall, "such antics will not be tolerated. We will find out who was in the forest. I am receiving lists from each house head, and we'll move from there."

Professor Evariste gave Rose and James a conspiratorial wink before knocking on the door.

Maria slammed open the door and stormed past them, muttering angrily in Italian. Rodolfo followed directly, looking frustrated.

"Hazen, come in," called Professor McGonagall.

Rose followed Professor Evariste tentatively, ducking out of view. She couldn't help her eyes, which roamed around the immense room freely.

Professor McGonagall regarded Rose and James warily. "Please tell me you are not here to turn these students in," she said sharply.

Professor Evariste shook his head. "No, of course not. I was merely wondering where to bring them, as we were enjoying tea when your announcement was made." As an afterthought, he added, "I hope all is well."

"Students should remain in their common room," said Professor McGonagall wearily. "As for you, I need a list of any students not accounted for as soon as possible."

Rose kept her head down until they were out of McGonagall's office.

"I despise making lists," said Professor Evariste lightly. "Ah, well, what can I do?"

They ascended the main stairs, passing the occasional teacher. At one point, a snowy owl flew past them, letter in its beak.

"That's Flitwick's owl," groaned Evariste. "I'm going to be the last one to get my list in, I know it."

"Maybe no one will be missing," said Rose supportively.

When they arrived to the seventh floor, they happened upon Louis arguing with the Fat Lady.

"I was over at Ravenclaw Tower with Arianna!" he cried, throwing his arms in the air angrily. "They let _her _in just fine."

"What's the problem here?" asked Professor Evariste.

Louis spun, then, upon seeing who had appeared, sighed with relief. "Thank goodness," he said. "The Fat Lady won't let me in because of the announcement."

"Where were you?" asked James.

Cocking a grin, Louis said, "Ah, here and there with Arianna. They let _her_ back into _her_ common room, then I headed over here."

"I'll bring him in," said Professor Evariste. "Let's just hope I have the last of them."

In fact, Rose, James, and Louis were the last ones to arrive. The rest of the Gryffindors were gathered in the common room, waiting for Evariste to count them.

"We've been doing this too much," whispered James as Rose preceded him in through the portrait hole.

Rose agreed. It was not the first time all of the Gryffindors had been squeezed into their common room—a room that was certainly not meant to contain the entire house at once.

"Where _were_ you?" hissed Albus as Rose made her way over to him.

"Later," replied Rose.

Dominique approached Professor Evariste with a long skein of parchment. "I checked in," she said, "and everyone is here. Some went up to their dormitories, but they're all here."

"You three were very closely not," said Albus lowly. "Really, where were you? And what's with us being locked in?"

"We all need to talk," said Rose. "Can we go up to your dormitory?"

"I think Liam's in there," said Albus, "but James' should be free."

They tugged on James' sleeve and told him to follow them. When they opened the door to the third year boys' dormitory, they found Lysander sitting on his bed.

"Well, isn't this a happy reunion?" said Lysander, one brow raised. "Do we get any sort of explanation, or is this a purely social visit?"

Rose sat cross-legged on one of the beds. "One of the dragons got free," she said bluntly. "They think a student tampered with them somehow."

Lysander paused, then closed his book. "You never cease to surprise me," he said. "By the by, why were you so late? Dominique panicked when she couldn't find you two. Did Louis ever show up?"

Rose recounted her afternoon from the end of the lesson straight through the present.

"What annoys me most is how the Gemini just disappeared," she said, frustrated. "They said they were there to be my alibi, but then they just up and vanished."

"I still can't believe _my_ luck," grumbled James. "The one time I go down to nick some food—"

Albus snorted. "The _one_ time?"

"Alright," conceded James, "so I visit the house-elves sometimes. But of course, it's when _I'm_ down there that this all goes down."

"That's James for you, all right," said Albus, rolling his eyes. "Always thinking of the big picture."

James opened his mouth to form a retort, but Professor McGonagall's voice cut him off.

"Students are now free to exit their common rooms," she said, her words ringing up through Gryffindor Tower. "Lunch will be served in ten minutes. Thank you."

Rose and Albus were able to catch Scorpius on his way up from the dungeons. They only had a few brief moments to catch him up on the morning's events. Wide-eyed, he agreed to meet them after lunch to discuss it further.

Over the next few days, the story of the dragon circulated through the school. Some of it was even true, though Rose was particularly impressed by one first year swearing to his friends that it had been _he_ on Maria's dragon. It seemed like only Rose and her friends knew the full story. They kept it to themselves; hearing others twist the truth was far more interesting.

No announcements about the dragons were made. Saturday arrived without any official word about the continuation of riding lessons. Rose decided to head down to the edge of the forest in hopes of a lesson being prepared.

It was clear when she arrived that there would be no lesson that day. Neither Rodolfo nor Giovanni were there. In fact, the only Rider present was Marco Falicci. He was bent over a blazing fire. Rose's eyes widened—both of his hands were completely immersed in the flames.

"Excuse me," she said tentatively. "The flames—your hands—I mean—"

Marco looked up, surprised. He drew his hands out of the fire. Rose saw that he was holding a glass figure in the shape of a dragon in one gloved hand.

"Hello," he said. His voice was soft and gentle, as was his gaze. "There are no lessons today, I'm afraid. They have been moved to next weekend."

"What are you doing?" asked Rose, her eyes locked on the small glass dragon. "Your hands—the fire—"

Marco looked at the dragon fondly. "I am a glassblower," he said. "I make these figures and sell them as we travel. Would you like to see it?"

Rose sat on the tree stump next to him as he pulled out a soft silk bag.

"Be careful," he said as he handed her the glass dragon. "They're very fragile."

The dragon fit in the palm of Rose's hand. It was tinted blue and reminded Rose of the dragon that had broken free earlier in the week.

"It's amazing," she breathed, stroking the glass scales of the dragon's belly. "How do you make such beautiful dragons?"

"That one isn't even enchanted," said Marco. "This is how they _really_ work."

He took out his wand and tapped the blue dragon lightly on the head.

The dragon took to the air instantly. Beating its wings eagerly, it began to circle above Rose. She tilted her head back to watch it, completely awed.

"Wow," she said softly. "It's beautiful!"

"Thank you," said Marco earnestly. "I find glassblowing to be calming. Something to do without my magic."

That surprised Rose. "You make these without magic?" she said, certain she must have misunderstood.

But Marco nodded. "I enchant them to fly," he said, "but the glassblowing, I do myself."

"Wow," repeated Rose. "I could never…wow."

Marco smiled, and the expression softened the harsh lines of his face. "Would you like to try?" he asked.

"Me?" exclaimed Rose. "Oh, no, I could never—I mean, all I—me?"

"You wouldn't be making a dragon, of course," amended Marco. "When I was young, I began by making small glass balls."

He drew a glass ball from the pocket of his jacket. It was no bigger than Rose's finger, but it sparkled luminescently in the morning's sun.

"That's beautiful too," said Rose. "But how do you put your hands in the fire like that?"

"It's magical fire," explained Marco. "It will soften the glass, but it will not burn me. You could stick a hand in right now, and it would emerge as it is. Undamaged."

Rose hesitated. She could feel the heat radiating from the flames from where she sat. Was it true, that the fire would not burn her? Then she remembered her own fires, the ones that would provide heat in the rain or the snow, but would not- could not—burn. Wasn't this the same? Before she could hesitate another moment or change her mind, Rose stuck her hand into the flames.

Instantly, the bite of the cool November air disappeared. Rose's hand was warm, as if she held a freshly-baked muffin or cake. The flames tickled at her hand, but as Marco had promised, they did not burn.

"You are very brave," remarked Marco as Rose drew her hand out of the fire. "Most students I have met would not have stuck their hand in the fire, with only my word to say it would not burn."

Rose sat back on the tree stump, taking the praise with a smile. "Would you be able to…?" She trailed off, unable to finish her question.

"Would I be able to teach you glassblowing?" said Marco sagely. "Is that what you meant to ask?"

Rose nodded.

"In that case, I would be delighted to."

Marco undid the clasp on the bag sitting next to him. From it, he drew what resembled two long straws.

"These are what you use to blow air into the glass," he explained, setting them aside. "You'll be making hollow orbs to start."

Rose watched as Marco selected a bit of shattered glass from his bag. He then held it in the fire. It began to twist and morph as Marco applied pressure to it.

"You'll want to get it into a roughly round shape before you begin to blow," he instructed. "Now, we insert one of the tubes."

He chose a thin tube and stuck the tip of it into the marble-sized ball of glass.

"Now watch carefully," he told Rose. "I won't be able to talk you through this part. Try to see what I'm doing through the flames."

Marco put his lips to the end of the tube and began taking slow, even breaths through his nose. He exhaled through his mouth, sending air down the tube and into the orb. The glass ball began to expand. With every breath Marco took, it grew larger and larger.

Rose squinted, trying to see exactly what was happening. Marco appeared to be spinning the orb with his fingers, smoothing out uneven spots with a careful, ginger touch. Pretty soon, the ball was as large as Rose's fist. When Marco drew it out of the flames, she could see that the light pink orb was perfectly smooth and round.

"Wow," breathed Rose. "Marco, how do you _do_ that?"

"It takes years of dedication to your art," said Marco, his face smooth and serene. "It has taken the place of Riding for me."

"Did you—did you used to ride?" asked Rose gingerly. "I mean… You've never taught a lesson or anything."

Marco exhaled deeply before responding. "I used to ride," he said slowly, "but due to injury, I decided my career as a Rider was at its end."

"Your leg," noted Rose.

"You noticed," said Marco. "Yes. I lost full use of my leg in an… accident."

"But you stayed with the Riders," Rose pointed out.

"They were—they are—my family." Marco's gaze was serious. "My injury does not change that. We were all raised together. We will all live together until we all, in our own turn, pass on."

"That's…" Rose wanted to articulate that she understood the close bond. It was akin to the tie between her and her cousins, the relationship that would only grow stronger. The bond was ineffable. "That's amazing."

Marco looked at her carefully for a moment. Then, a soft smile crossed his face.

"I was going to say that you are too young to understand," he confessed, "but somehow, I doubt that it true. You have an ancient air about you."

Colour rose to Rose's cheeks as she looked away. It was an odd compliment, but she was determined to receive it graciously.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "I mean, I think."

Marco chuckled. "Come, young Rosaline. Would you like to have a try with the blowpipe?"

Rose's eyes widened. "Me?" she squeaked. "Oh, not me. No."

"Why not?"

Because she had never read a book about glassblowing before. Because she had never tried it, or practiced to perfection. Because it would not be perfect.

"Because I have—er—I have something to do," she stammered instead. She could feel her cheeks still warm with the unwanted blush.

Marco laughed quietly. "Do not fret, Rosaline," he said. "Besides, it looks that your young friend is here to be your rescue."

Rose turned to see Scorpius closing the distance between her and the castle. She waved, then turned to Marco.

"Maybe I'll try it some other time," she said, relieved. Sometime after she found time to read up on the matter.

Scorpius was not out of breath when he reached them, though he had jogged from the castle. Rose resisted the urge to glare at him; though she had begun physically intensive Quidditch practices, she had not yet matched the boys' endurance.

"Figured I'd find you here," said Scorpius. "Rose, Al wanted me to tell you that Cameron needs you at Quidditch practice."

"But I thought Slytherin had the pitch for the day," said Rose, confused.

Scorpius' eyes narrowed slightly. "We did," he said bitterly, "but Lisatt had a mysterious _accident_ on her way down. She's in the Hospital Wing. Cameron heard me telling Al and asked permission to use it from Slughorn, since we have no Reserve."

Rose winced. It was a bit tactless of Cameron, besides the accident sounding suspicious.

"Sorry," she said. "Maybe you can take one of our slots when Lisatt gets out."

Scorpius sighed. "I'm starting to wish we had a Reserve," he groaned, stretching his arms up. "Lisatt didn't like the new rule allowing them, so she just refuses."

Rose realized suddenly that she was being terribly rude. She turned to introduce Scorpius to Marco—

But he was gone.

"Why do people keep disappearing on me?" muttered Rose.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing…"

Scorpius walked with Rose to the Quidditch pitch. Albus swept down to say hello—and was promptly yelled at by Cameron.

"I'll see you around," said Scorpius, skirting away before Cameron could come down and send him off.

Rose was distracted all afternoon. She found herself falling off her broom multiple times, always without knowing how she got to where she was.

"Are you okay?" Albus asked. He had flown over to her after a particularly nasty slip-up that left Rose hanging onto the broom with one hand.

"I'm fine," said Rose automatically. "Just distracted."

"No dragons today?" guessed Albus.

"Not today, no."

"This is not a social event!" called Cameron from the other side of the pitch. "Stop talking and start playing for real!"

Practice stretched on, but still, Rose found her concentration wavering as her thoughts returned again and again to the dragons and the mysterious glassblower. She wondered what kind of accident had stopped Marco's career as a Rider—surely it was something serious, something that even magic could not heal completely.

She found herself exhausted when practice was finally over. She felt bowlegged from being on a broom all afternoon. She, Albus, and James trudged back to the castle together, too tired for conversation.

Riding lessons resumed a week later. No mention was made of the previous Saturday's event—none of the Riders said anything about it, and the dwindling number of students followed suit.

Maria took over lessons and began to teach about riding decorum. It was a far more elaborate sport than Rose had expected.

"We ride bareback," said Maria, leaning against a tree in an utterly relaxed position. There was no trace of the anger Rose had witnessed after encountering her in Professor McGonagall's office. "If any of you make it onto a dragon, you will ride in a specially-crafted saddle. No exceptions."

_No exceptions_ came to be a popular term during Riding lessons. There were no exceptions to many things—the saddle rule was only the beginning.

"It seems like an awful lot of work to me," said Scorpius after one lesson. He had tagged along with Rose to see what all of the fuss was about. "How do you manage?"

"It's not that difficult," demurred Rose. "I balance schoolwork and Quidditch all week. Friday night, I review my Riding notes. I do weekend assignments Saturday morning. Then it's Riding, Quidditch, dinner, and more schoolwork."

Scorpius shook his head. "Do you sleep?" he asked wonderingly. "I barely keep my marks up with Quidditch once or twice a week. You practice almost every day. On _top_ of everything else you're doing."

Rose was secretly glad that _someone_ appreciated the work she was going through. "It's not too bad," she lied. "You just need the proper motivation."

"Are you at least taking a break for the holidays?" asked Scorpius.

"Not exactly," said Rose. "I'm going home for the holidays. All of my cousins are Quidditch-obsessed. They'll have me with broom sores before the first day is out."

Scorpius sighed, his mouth twisting almost angrily. "_I'm_ staying at school," he said bitterly. "My parents are going to visit relatives. Again."

"Can't you go with them?" asked Rose. Scorpius was obviously unhappy with the plan to stay at the castle. "They're your relatives too, right?"

Rose though she heard him mutter, "Barely," but she could not be sure.

"It's not that simple," he said, "alright? I'll just stay here." He kicked a rock down the path.

Rose made up her mind in an instant. "No, you won't," she said, ignoring his glowering. "You can come spend Christmas with me!"

Scorpius stared at her blankly.

"C'mon, it would be fun!" insisted Rose. "You'll see. You can hang out with Albus and I, and there's plenty of room to fly."

"I don't think I—"

"Nope," said Rose quickly. "I will not take no for an answer. I'll go send an owl to Mum now."

Scorpius followed her as she headed for the Owlery. "That's nice of you, really," he said tightly, "but I doubt—I mean, I'd love to, but my parents—"

"Ask your mum for permission," said Rose. "She seemed to like Albus and I, so she shouldn't have a problem with you staying with us."

All of Scorpius' protestations fell on deaf ears. Rose sent a quickly-jotted note to her mother, then set off to tell Albus.

"Sounds more like you forced him than anything," he observed, putting away his Astronomy work. He had opted out of the Riding lessons for good. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Rose glared at him. "It's a great idea!" she cried, frustrated that neither of the boys understood. "I mean, everyone has to get used to him eventually, right?"

"Not if—"

"Oh, come on, Al, don't be a spoiler," pleaded Rose. "This is going to be so much fun!"

"Fun," muttered Albus. "Great."

Hermione's response came the next morning during breakfast. Rose locked eyes with Scorpius, who was glaring at her from across the room.

_Rosie_, the letter read.

_Of course it is alright for Scorpius to spend the holidays with us! We wouldn't want him to stay at the castle alone. Your father will need some time to adjust to the idea, but I'm sure he'll come around._

_Still no sign of Selena. Are you sure you didn't send her somewhere she couldn't find?_

_Your father sends his love._

_We'll see you soon!_

_Love,_

_Mum_


	11. Chapter 11

"All aboard the train, dears! Come now, follow me!"

Rose ducked away from the window she had been hanging out of. Her hair was windblown and tangled. She tied it back as she went to find Albus.

The days preceding Christmas vacation had been hectic. Rose had never had such a difficult time packing. But what would she need for such a short time at home?

Albus and Scorpius were waiting in the compartment when Rose arrived. They both looked as if they had had a sleepless night.

"That storm was killer," said Albus as Rose closed the compartment door. "I kept thinking someone was knocking at our window."

"I wouldn't have heard it from the dungeons," groaned Scorpius, "but no. We were out flying."

"In that weather?" said Rose, genuinely surprised. The previous night's storm had deposited a thick layer of snow on the castle grounds. She too had heard the strong winds howling as she retired to bed.

Scorpius nodded miserably. "Lisatt figured we might as well take the time that Cameron wasn't using. She tried to rope me into staying over break, but I told her I had plans with my father."

"Bet she loved that!" laughed Albus.

"That's something I think about sometimes," admitted Scorpius. "All of the older students just…leave me alone."

"They're scared of your folks," said Albus with a grin. "It's—"

The compartment door slid open. A stack of books floated in, followed directly by Lorcan and Lysander. Once the door was closed, the books tumbled to the floor.

"James has detention again," announced Lysander wearily. "Slughorn found him and Louis playing with a book of curses in the hall."

Rose's eyebrows shot up. "A book of curses?" she repeated uneasily. "Are you certain?"

Lorcan nodded. "Slughorn thinks they nicked it from the Restricted Section of the library," he said, his voice light and casual.

Rose shook her head. "Those two will get themselves expelled before the year is out," she grumbled.

"If Louis isn't careful, he just well might."

The declaration from Lorcan surprised everyone. Rose gave Albus a nervous glance. Was it merely Lorcan's opinion, or was there something more he was not saying?

The ride back to King's Cross station was subdued. The train flew over snow-covered hills and white trenches. When it pulled into the station, Rose found herself waking from a dazed, dream-like stupor.

Students were sent through the magical brick barricade in groups of two and three. Rose pushed her trolley through with Albus and Scorpius flanking her. Together, they dove into the Muggle world.

The station was full of bustling parents seeking out their children. It wasn't as packed as the end of the year, though, when _everyone_ was there.

Rose spotted her mother standing by a pillar. "Mum's over there," she said, pointing Hermione out to Scorpius. "Albus, will you be alright finding Aunt Ginny?"

"I'll be good," said Albus. "See you all on the Grange, okay?"

"What's the Grange?" asked Scorpius as Albus went to find his mother.

"You'll see," said Rose mysteriously. "C'mon, let's go say hi to my mum."

Hermione hugged her daughter tightly. "Hello, Rosie," she said warmly. "Scorpius! I'm glad you decided to spend the holidays with us."

"Rose didn't give me much of a choice about it, Mrs. Weasley," said Scorpius with a shy grin.

"Call me Hermione, dear."

Having greeted her mother, Rose was able to examine her. "Why are you still in your work robes?" she asked, tilting her head at her mother's plum robes. "Are we going to see Dad at the Ministry?" Personally, she didn't think that having a confrontation between her father and Scorpius was a good plan, especially while at the Ministry.

"No," said Hermione, "he's at home with Hugo. I just need to pop over and pick up a file I left."

It was unusual for Rose's mother to forget something important like that at work. "Let's go, then," said Rose. "Albus and James are going to beat us home."

"Not if James has himself in trouble again," said Hermione. Rose turned to see James standing between Professor Slughorn and Aunt Ginny. He looked at the ground glumly as his teacher showed his mum a book.

Hermione looked away. "We'll be off, then?" she said to Rose and Scorpius. "I figured we'd get to one of the travelling rooms and pop on over to the Ministry."

Rose followed her mother as she headed off towards the loo. They passed Lorcan and Lysander, who stood with their mother, faces grave. As Rose passed, she heard a snippet of conversation.

"…and that is how the Humdingers got in the house. Now, we need to focus our energy…"

The rest of the words were lost in the babble of the station. Rose searched the crowd for other familiar faces. There was Tia Marsh with her aunt—Tomasa Kerpbow, a Slytherin girl in Rose's year—Gemma and Genna—

Rose almost tripped over her own feet. She changed course; her feet quickly closed the distance between she and the Gemini.

"Rose!" cried Gemma with a dazzling smile. "We've missed you—"

"Immensely!"

"—and are glad to see you are well."

Rose knew she had no time for small talk. "Why did you vanish the day the dragon broke free?" she asked, her voice low. "I thought you were my alibi."

"We were rendered unnecessary."

"Quite."

"Not that we mind—"

"—no, not at all."

"And we'll be seeing so much more of you so very shortly," concluded Gemma. "Besides, we were needed elsewhere."

Rose felt a hand on her shoulder. It was her mother, wearing an almost nervous expression.

"Come, Rose," said Hermione. "I must get back to the Ministry."

To the Gemini, she offered a sharp nod of recognition. Steering Rose and Scorpius (who had followed her) away, Hermione muttered something Rose could not hear.

Rose and Scorpius exchanged a confused glance. Even in a hurry, Hermione should have been more polite to the Gemini. Rose turned back to wave, but the petite duo had once again vanished.

Scorpius tilted his head as Hermione preceeded them through the crowd, but Rose could only shrug in response. They would make time to ask about her mother's knowledge of the Gemini later—preferably in a less-crowded setting.

Hermione led the way to a door that read Out of Order. Ignoring the sign, she opened the door and ushered the children through.

The inside of the room was pristine, unlike the ragged, water stained sign leading to it. It was also filled with wizards.

"Wicked," breathed Scorpius. "What is it?"

"It's one of the Disapparation Rooms set up by the Ministry," explained Rose, proud she remembered it from one of her books. "It's for witches and wizards in transit, usually with company. Perfect for Side-Along Apparation."

There were large circles outlined in gold on the tiled floor. Hermione stepped into an empty one and gestured for Rose and Scorpius to follow her.

"They're for Apparating or Disapparating in Muggle-heavy areas," said Hermione as she took each of the children's hands. "Ready?"

Before Rose could respond, she felt a familiar whoosh of air around her. Her stomach dropped as the scene before her eyes shifted. The elderly wizard she had been watching was replaced by a graying witch in lime green robes.

"The Ministry also employs them," continued Hermione, acting as if there had been no break in their conversation. "With plenty of people Apparating in and out, we don't want any splinching to occur. Right, then, follow me."

Rose fell into place by her mother's side, matching Hermione's brisk pace. Scorpius followed a step behind, looking around in wonder.

"This place must be _huge_," he said to Rose furtively. "How does your mum know her way around so well?"

"Years of working here," responded Hermione without turning. With a half-smile, she added, "And excellent hearing."

Scorpius gave Rose a slightly terrified look.

"It's really simple once you're used to it," said Rose reassuringly. "Between my mum and dad, I could walk this place in my sleep."

A harried-looking wizard approached Hermione. He was clearly quite close to having a mental breakdown. After a moment, Rose recognized him as her mother's assistant, Myers.

"Mrs. Weasley, I'm so glad I found you," he panted, out of breath. "I've been running everywhere—"

"Has there been a new report?" asked Hermione sharply.

"From this morning," confirmed Myers. "Only one injured, thankfully. One of their own. The beast in question has been contained and subdued."

Hermione's eyes flashed at the word "beast," but she did not challenge the man.

"I will bring the file home with me, then," she said, taking the folder Myers clutched. He released it eagerly, quite happy to have been relieved of the responsibility. "Have a Happy Christmas, Myers."

"Same to you, Mrs. Weasley."

Rose attempted to sneak a peek of the file as Hermione flipped through its contents. The rushed script was unfamiliar to her; it must have been the writing of someone else in her mother's department.

Rose and Scorpius shared another curious look. Rose was too well-mannered, and Scorpius too shy, to ask Hermione what the file contained. They would have to find out another way.

Hermione sighed and closed the file. "Come, now," she said, "we must be getting home. The report…" She let the end of the sentence dangle, shaking her head.

They did not return to the Disapparation Room. Hermione simply grabbed onto Rose and Scorpius' shoulders and closed her eyes. Rose's world shifted once more—the walls of the Ministry seemed to fold inward to become her kitchen.

"We're home!" called Hermione into the house.

Scorpius looked to Rose, worry covering his pale face. "Your dad hates me," he reminded her, as if she had forgotten.

She hardly needed the reminder. "Call him Sir," she suggested under her breath. "That should throw him off long enough for us to make our escape."

Scorpius could only manage a weak nod.

Hermione had draped her Ministry robe over a chair, revealing a hand-knit sweater. "Your grandmum is over," she explained to Rose. "You'll be pulling out your old one for dinner tomorrow."

Before Rose could respond, her father entered the room, ducking through an abnormally small doorway. "Can't we just disenchant this thing?" he asked, rubbing the spot on his head that he knocked against the doorframe.

"No," said Hermione firmly. "It's meant to keep bad energy out of the room. Are you surprised it shrunk up on you?"

Ron ignored his wife. Instead, he looked to his daughter. "Rosie's here and I don't get a hug?" he said jokingly. "What have they done to her at that school?"

Laughing, Rose reached up and hugged her father. It was good to see her family after a long stretch at school. Speaking of which—

"Where's Hugo?" she asked, glancing around to see if her was hiding under the large oak table or behind a china case. She had expected him to be the first one to tackle her at the train station.

Ron gave Hermione a significant look and said, "He's up in his room."

Hermione sighed. "Ronald," she said firmly, "you have yet to greet our guest."

Ron looked at the space above Scorpius' head. "Welcome," he said stiffly.

"It's a pleasure to be here, sir," said Scorpius smoothly.

It worked. Ron's brows shot up and he looked directly at Scorpius for a moment. Rose decided to take advantage of her father's surprise.

"We'll be upstairs," she told her parents quickly. She tugged on Scorpius' sleeve, gesturing for him to follow her.

"Watch your step," she continued. "The stairs are a bit spunky this time of year."

Spunky was an understatement. The stairs were actually heaps of oddly-formed geometric shapes that shifted as one tried to walk up them. Rose managed well enough—she knew the formations and was able to skip lightly up them. Scorpius was left at the bottom of the stairs, regarding them warily.

"Try to stay on the square steps," advised Rose. "Those stay pretty still."

Scorpius made his way up the stairs precariously, judging each step before he took it. Finally, he reached the top.

"Let's introduce you to Hugo," said Rose quickly, leaving Scorpius no time to object to the quirky staircase.

The door to Hugo's room was closed, which stuck Rose as odd. She knocked, and from within, a voice called, "Go away!"

Rose frowned. "I'd better go in first," she told Scorpius. "Just wait out here for a minute, okay?"

Hugo was sitting on his bed, knees curled up to his chest. His fiery read head was propped up on them. Before he even turned, Rose could see the mulish set of his mouth.

"I said—oh, it's just you." Hugo relaxed a bit. "Why're you here?"

"I want to introduce you to one of my friends," said Rose gently. "He's—"

"No!" snapped Hugo, the mulish look returning. "I don't want to meet a Malfoy."

"Mum wouldn't want you to act this way," said Rose, a bit hurt. "Hugo, he's—"

"Just go away," ordered Hugo angrily.

Now very hurt, Rose left the room. How could her little brother be so close-minded? He was only ten.…

"I heard," said Scorpius, saving Rose from the explanation. "Could I go in for a minute, just to try?"

Rose hesitated, then said, "I don't know how far you'll get. Hugo has a bit of a stubborn streak."

"Just like his sister," said Scorpius with a grin. Retaining the smile, he entered Hugo's room. Unable to contain her curiosity, Rose put her ear to the door.

"Hi, Hugo," she heard Scorpius say. "I'm Scorpius." After a moment, he added, "but I guess you already knew that, eh?"

Long moments of silence passed. Scorpius finally broke it with a quiet, "Woah…"

Rose was lost for a moment. Then Hugo said, "Don't touch it," firmly.

"Wouldn't dream of it," replied Scorpius easily. "Is it signed by the whole team?"

Rose suddenly knew what they were looking at. Hugo had an older model broom hanging on his wall—a Firebolt, if she had to guess. Alone it was worthless, but Ron had managed to get it signed by the entire Chudley Cannons team after a game. It was Hugo's prize possession.

"I read about one of their latest games," said Scorpius eagerly. "I was impressed by Lewonski's feint towards the end."

"I wasn't," said Hugo without a moment's hesitation. "If he would have used it sooner in the season, sure. But now?"

"But you have to admit, he has style," said Scorpius. "Do you play?"

"A bit," said Hugo slyly. Rose rolled her eyes; her brother spent most sunlit hours on a broom. "What about you?"

"A bit," repeated Scorpius, his words equally as deceptive. "How about we go convince your sister to fly with us while it's still light out?"

Hugo laughed, the sound boyish and light. "Oh, you won't get her to fly," he said, "not after what happened."

Rose froze, her hand hovering above the doorknob. She hardly wanted to interrupt the budding friendship. But by the same token, she didn't want her brother to embarrass her.

"What happened?" asked Scorpius curiously.

"She didn't tell you?" said Hugo, surprised. "We were at our grandparents' house—the Muggle ones, on our mum's side. Rose was only five, but she had seen Dominique fly before. So she took a broom from the cupboard and snuck out onto the roof."

Rose squeezed her eyes shut. She knew how the story went—she had mounted the Muggle broom and jumped off the roof. Her injuries had been minor, but the event had put a permanent dent in her confidence.

It hadn't made sense to her. Why did the broom not carry her? It worked for Dominique and Louis, so why not her as well?

"She refuses to fly to this day," finished Hugo with a sigh. "Makes a bloody good referee, though."

There was silence from Scorpius, then, "C'mon, Hugo. Let's go see if Al and James want to play us."

Rose stepped away from the door a moment before Hugo pulled it open. She forced a smile for him and watched as he flew down the stairs with ease.

Scorpius emerged from the room with a solemn expression. He stared at Rose for a moment, then looked down.

"I'm sorry I forced you to fly," he said softly. "I shouldn't have pushed you."

"Well, it is what it is," said Rose quickly. "I've gotten over it, and so should everyone else."

It looked like Scorpius was going to continue, but her stopped himself before the words escaped his lips. Instead, he simply nodded and turned to the stairs, giving them his complete attention.

Hugo was already out in the snow by the time Rose and Scorpius descended the stairs. Rose swept her wand arm out to encompass the entirety of the expansive field that lay before her and Scorpius.

"This is the Grange," she said to Scorpius, who was clearly in awe. "It keeps the whole family connected. It's like spokes on a wheel, really. Al and James are straight across, and the twins are just off to the left."

"You all live here?" said Scorpius quietly, looking around. Each house was barely visible across the white expanse, with the Potters' home a mere speck in the distance.

"Not all of us," amended Rose. "Uncle George and Aunt Angelina live inHogsmeade at the new shop with Roxanne and Fred."

"Fred being the little guy in Hufflepuff?" said Scorpius, clearly trying to keep the Weasley clan straight in his mind.

"Yes," said Rose, "he's the Hufflepuff. Oh, and Uncle Charlie lives in Romania, but he's here for the year."

"The dragon man," said Scorpius with a grin. "I remember Al telling me about him. How come he is not Hogwarts with the riders?"

"Differing opinions," said Rose simply.

Out of nowhere, two broomsticks shot by overhead. Rose caught a glimpse of Albus' black hair on one, and James's messy brown on the other. Finally, the third broom with the tiniest rider. Lily

The Potters circled around and landed in front of Rose, Hugo, and Scorpius. James immediately dismounted and stepped in front of Lily, blocking her completely from view. He narrowed his eyes at Scorpius, and his mouth twisted nastily.

"Hugo and I are going to fly for a bit," said Scorpius, ignoring James and looking to Albus. "You want to come along?"

"I do!" squeaked an eager voice from behind James.

Albus ignored his sister. "Sure, I'll go along," he said. "James and Lily were just heading back to the house."

James shot his brother an angry glare, which Albus ignored. It was clear that James was annoyed over Scorpius' presence, and Rose had a feeling that the anger would not be soon to pass.

"Yeah," sneered James, "we were just leaving. Have fun."

Lily started to object, but James silenced her with a glare. Together, they hopped on their brooms and, and with a reluctant glance over the shoulder from Lily, flew towards their house.

"James is in a good mood," assessed Scorpius calmly. "So, who's up for some Quidditch?"

The next morning started off quietly. Rose woke with the sunrise and went to Hugo's room. Her brother was curled up in bed, which left Scorpius sprawled out on top of a cot.

"Time to wake up, boys," she said, shaking Hugo's arm. "Mum and Dad will be up already, and we need to help."

"Help?" groaned Scorpius, clearly disoriented. His eyes were barely squinted open, letting a bare sliver of light into them. "With what?"

"Food!" cried Rose. "Didn't I explain the way Christmas works around here?"

Scorpius sat up, eyes still bleary. "Happy Christmas?" he moaned. "Presents? Food?"

Hugo offered up a quiet laugh from his bed. "Oh, you have no idea..."

Scorpius groaned and flopped back onto his bed.


	12. Chapter 12

"Toss me those carrots, Hugo."

"Incoming carrots!"

Rose caught the bag of carrots with one hand and immediately began unknotting the top of the bag. "These are for the salad?" she checked.

"Yes, just chop them for now," said Hermione as she threw a bag of celery sticks to Albus.

The large kitchen was crowded with various Weasley cousins, all of whom were busy with food preparation. Also in the mix were all three Potter children and the Scamander twins, who worked as two parts of one unit.

Scorpius stuck close to Rose, who explained what was going on in-between tasks.

"No, give me the bowl," she said, taking one of the oven-glazed bowls from Scorpius, who was fumbling around with it. "Now, where was I?"

"Lunch," said Scorpius.

"Lunch. Well, in an hour or two, we'll all go back home to break for lunch." Rose began to dump chopped carrot bits into the bowl.

"We- well, you _are_ home," Scorpius pointed out.

"_They'll_ go home, then," corrected Rose. "Pass me the- yes, that one. Thanks. Where was I?"

"Going home," reminded Scorpius.

"Ah, yes. They'll go home, we'll have a quiet little lunch, and then it's back to work."

"And then?" Scorpius raised a brow. "Are we ever going to _eat_ all of this food?"

"Tomorrow," said Rose as she finished with the carrots. "Tomorrow afternoon we all go out on the Grange-"

"In the snow?"

For it had been snowing all morning, and according to Witch Weekly, the snow would not cease for the rest of the week.

"We have massive tents," explained Rose tiredly. "Mum charms them each year. So we all go out and eat together."

"And rejoice that all of the cooking is over," said Albus, popping up from behind Rose. "Rose, I need the carrots."

Scorpius handed over the bowl with a heavy sigh. "We'd better get cooking, then," he said.

It turned out that Scorpius knew absolutely nothing about cooking. Rose had to guide him through the simplest of steps, such as chopping peppers for the salad or measuring oils for dressing.

"Just hand me whatever I call for, okay?" snapped Rose when it became blindingly obvious that Scorpius had no talent in the kitchen. Scorpius just nodded and took a tiny step away from Rose's rapidly-expanding hair.

Admittedly, Rose had little patience for cooking. It amazed her that Scorpius was so inadequate at it; he was brilliant at Potions, which was a remarkably similar subject.

Lunch was a far from relaxing affair. Rose's father remained stony-faced for the duration of the meal, shooting occasional glares towards Scorpius. Hermione tried to ignore the tension by chatting at an unusually quick pace.

"I think you need to eat more, dear. Ron, don't you? He's a scrawny boy, isn't he? Rosie, why don't you make sure he eats when you get back to school?"

"Yes, Mum," said Rose obediently when Hermione paused to take a breath.

Scorpius looked comfortable throughout the meal. Afterwards, though, he collapsed onto his bed in Hugo's room.

"Does your mum usually talk that much?" he asked bluntly.

"No," said Rise with a sigh. "I think she was trying to make up for Dad. I had hoped that he would be a bit more... welcoming."

"Rosaline Miriam Weasley!" called Hermione from below. "We need more hands in the kitchen!"

With a groan, Scorpius popped up off the bed. "Back to the heart of the beast," he said with a crooked grin. "Can't wait."

At the end of the day, everyone was ready for bed. Rose nodded wearily at Scorpius and Hugo before heading to her room. Thoroughly exhausted, she fell onto her bed, no energy remaining to change her clothes. Almost instantly, she drifted off to sleep.

Her dreams were far from restful. It began with an odd burning sensation at the base of her throat. Rose quickly identified the source as the Prewett locket.

As she clutched the locket, some of the dream fog was swept away by a motionless breeze. From the darkness came a brilliant red dragon, walking slowly towards Rose.

Rose froze where she was, struggling to remember what she was supposed to do next. After a brief moment of indecision, she lowered her head in a respectful bow.

The dragon looked at her and tilted its head. The bow was typical in approaching a hippogriff, not a dragon. But the dragon's reaction was human, not bestial.

The Rider Maria emerged from behind the dragon's flank. A long gash ran down her left arm, which brushed against the dragon's leg. The dragon bared its teeth- they dripped fresh blood on Rose's foot.

Rose awakened with a jolt. For a few long minutes, she lay awake in her bed, staring at the ceiling. Eventually, she fell back into an uneasy sleep, one hand still wrapped around her locket.

"Rose, could you- no, Lorcan, don't! Oh, well, that was a backup tray anyway. Rose, just- no, I said- oh, never mind, just get it out there."

Hermione leaned against the wall, wilting with exhaustion. "Rose," she said quietly, "could you please carry out the potato salad?"

"Yes, Mum," said Rose obediently. "C'mon, Scorpius, grab that platter of rolls."

The appointed hour for dinner was rapidly approaching. All of the cousins were bustling around, carrying trays of food out to the center point of the Grange.

Rose took charge, directing Scorpius and Albus as the adults bustled around them. The tent's roof provided more than enough cover from the freshly-fallen snow, though there was still some slush to walk through.

Lysander slid under the cover of the tent, barely keeping his grip on the tray of potatoes he had been given. He placed it gently on the table before leaning on one of the chairs.

"I love that this thing is heated," he sighed, stretching his arms out into the warm air wafting around the tent. "Rose, your mum is brilliant."

"Feel free to remind her," said Rose. She knew that her mother was just like her- she would bask in the glow of a well-meant compliment.

As the sun began to drop out of the sky, people began to converge on the tent. Dominique broke away from her mother to come and greet Albus. Seeing Scorpius, she stopped just short of the group.

"Oh," she said curtly. Her eyes skimmed over Scorpius as she took in their group. "I- hello, then. Albus, I- well."

And without another word, Dominique walked away.

"Well," said Rose, "that went well."

"Not everyone will be like that," said Albus reassuringly. "I bet Louis will warm right up to you."

Rose had a sinking suspicion that it wouldn't be that easy.

Throughout the meal, she was proven right. The twins sat across from Rose, Albus, and Scorpius after the seats were left noticeably empty. They made conversation, ignoring the obvious stares and glares coming from the others.

"I _still_ don't know why he's here," said Victoire loudly at one point. "I mean, he's that Malfoy's son, isn't he?"

"He's also just a boy," said Teddy Lupin, sitting by her side. "He needs time to make his own way in the world."

Victoire huffed but said nothing more about Scorpius. A few minutes later, Rose caught Teddy flashing Scorpius a quick wink. Well, progress was progress.

Rose found herself exhausted by the time her mother began to Summon all of the desserts. Hermione counted the dishes as they floated in, then frowned.

"Rose," she said, "didn't we make a dish of chocolate biscuits?"

Rose scanned the table. "Yes, we did," she said, confused. "Didn't you Summon them?"

Hermione sighed. "I must be getting too tired," she said wearily. Stripes of flour soiled her sweater. "Could you run in and get it, dear?"

"Yes, Mum," said Rose.

"We'll go help," said Albus, nudging Scorpius, who also stood. "It may be..."

"Heavy!" supplied Scorpius.

Hermione raised a brow. "Hurry along, then," she said, faint suspicion coloring her voice.

Rose, Albus, and Scorpius were silent until well out of hearing range. Rose gave Albus the same look her mother had, one brow raised in suspicion.

"I have a feeling I know where the biscuits are," explained Albus. "Follow me."

They passed through the kitchen, Albus in the lead. He gestured for Rose and Scorpius to be silent.

The stairs were a slightly more difficult affair. Albus and Rose scampered quickly up the steps, leaving Scorpius stuck at the bottom. He looked up at them, eyes narrowed into slits.

"Run," whispered Rose, gesturing for Scorpius to ascend the stairs. He returned the stare, now looking quite helpless.

Suddenly, Mina was there, twisting around Rose's feet. She looked at the stairs and meowed loudly.

Rose froze in utter shock. The stairs aligned themselves so that the black rectangles formed a single stairway to the second floor.

If Scorpius was in equal awe, he did not let it show. Wasting no time, he scampered up the stairs, taking care to make no noise.

Rose regarded Mina with wonder. "Since when could you do that?" she said softly, petting her cat's neat fur.

With a near-silent _mrrt _of affection, Mina hopped down the stairs and disappeared into the kitchen.

Rose, Albus, and Scorpius exchanged a questioning look. After a moment, Albus shrugged. He then paused and pressed his ear to the door of Hugo's room.

Rose didn't have to put her ear to the door. She could hear her brother's voice clearly.

"Mum's gonna be mad," echoed Hugo's voice from within. "You sure this is a good idea?"

"She'll be too busy to notice," replied Lily's high, reedy voice. "C'mon, have a biscuit."

Albus pulled the door open. Hugo and Lily froze, both holding a chocolate biscuit. Hugo looked incredibly guilty, but Lily only looked lightly surprised.

The silence was broken by Lily's laughter. She took a large bite of the biscuit, then smiled up at her brother innocently.

"Biscuit?" she offered.

Shrugging, Scorpius sat next to her and grabbed a biscuit from the tray. "To make my sweet tooth happy," he said to Rose, who was glaring at him.

"Brilliant example," Rose began to say, but before she could finish the thought, Albus plopped down on the carpet and took a biscuit for himself.

Resigned, Rose also took a seat on the plush carpeting. "You two are taking the fall when Mum finds out," she warned.

Lily and Hugo acted as if they had not heard Rose's warning. Lily went to pick up another biscuit, then stopped.

"You're Scorpius Malfoy, aren't you?" she said. "I remember you from the train! I've heard all about you from James. Is it true—"

"Probably not," said Scorpius with a grin. "James and I don't exactly get along."

"I'm not surprised," said Lily lightly. "He can be more than a bit prejudiced. I hope he's not making life too miserable for you."

"Lily!" exclaimed Albus. "That's your brother you're talking about!"

"You know it's true," said Lily, obviously unconcerned. "I'm only telling the truth."

"So did Mum notice we were gone?" asked Hugo quickly, trying to diffuse the budding argument.

Rose sighed. Her brother was so non-confrontational. "She sent us to check on the platter of biscuits," she said. "She'll definitely notice if we don't return soon."

They all jumped when the door slammed open.

"Interesting group you have here," observed Lysander. "Somehow, though, I knew I'd find you all here."

Lorcan followed his twin into the room. "I made those biscuits, you know," he said, landing between Lysander and Albus. "You had better be enjoying them."

"They're lovely," said Lily dismissively. "Where's James?"

"Oh, he'll be up in a minute or so," said Lorcan. "We lost him somewhere in the kitchen."

Sure enough, moments later, James appeared in the doorway. His eyes narrowed instantly, locking in on Scorpius.

"Get away from my sister," he hissed angrily. "Now."

"James—" began Albus.

"Oh, piss off," said Lily sourly. "_You're_ the one wrecking the fun right now."

And she appeared to be dreadfully serious about it. Her cinnamon eyes were mere slits on her face, and her small mouth was twisted in a scowl.

Instead of storming from the room, James took another step in. With the air of great determination about him, he sat in between Lily and Scorpius.

"Well," said Lorcan, breaking the tension, "who wants to see what I drew this morning?"

"So _that's_ where you were," said Lysander. "I was looking for you to cook with Aunt Hermione and the rest of us."

"Mum let me stay home and draw," said Lorcan, a bit smug about it. "It's one of my better ones. Sibyl will be impressed."

Rose nearly choked on the biscuit she was eating. "You call Professor Trelawney _Sibyl_?" she said, amazed at the audacity of such a move. She would never imagine calling a professor by their first name, not even Professor Evariste.

"Sibyl says that there is to be no formalities among those gifted with the Sight," replied Lorcan, now definitely smug. "There is Us, and then there is the Beyond."

Albus looked like he was doing a poor job at resisting the urge to laugh. Hugo was clearly lost, and James' face was still surly.

When it was clear no one had anything to say to follow Lorcan's remark, Scorpius nudged the tray closer to the twins. "Have another biscuit," he said. "They're really great."

There was a nervous moment where it appeared that James was going to explode. Seconds passed, and finally, James leaned back against the bed.

The room relaxed as the minutes rolled by. Everyone forgot about Hermione waiting for them to return, including Rose.

Lily ignored James' presence easily, looking right past him when she wanted to address Scorpius, which was quite often.

"What's it like in the Slytherin common room?" she asked at one point, flipping a pigtail over her shoulder. If anyone noticed James' teeth clenching, they said nothing.

Scorpius thought for a moment, then said, "Dark," and grinned. "Dark and very green. The light is all artificial, so it has a bit of a tinge to it."

"Because it's down in the dungeons, correct?"

This seemed to throw Scorpius. He looked to Albus, who bit his lip, repressing laughter.

Rose saved him. "Mum, Dad, and Uncle Harry were given a full tour of the castle when McGonagall became official Headmistress," she explained slowly. "They're sort of honorary governors. The tour included all of the common rooms."

Scorpius nodded and appeared to believe her.

Lily continued to rattle off questions as the tray held fewer and fewer biscuits. Lorcan closed his eyes and began to take deep, even breaths; Rose remembered him mentioning something about meditative breathing being part of his lessons.

Eventually, Hugo began to nod off, his head continually lolling against the wall. Lily's questions came at less frequent intervals. It was clearly time to head off for bed.

"This to break up this happy little family," said a voice from the door. Rose jumped, but it was only Louis, looking as tired as the rest of them. His eyelids drooped heavily, making Rose's do the same.

"Scorpius," continued Louis, "congratulations. You have, if it is at all possible, made my sisters even more uptight than before. Congratulations, m'boy."

Rose didn't like the way the conversation was heading. Standing, she took Louis' hand and led him back out to the hallway. He stumbled along behind her. Up close, Rose could see that his eyes were not only drooped, but glazed over.

"Louis, are you drunk?" she said bluntly.

Louis' face broke into a loopy grin. "Nah, little Rosie," he said, "I'm just mellow. I'm _calm_."

"You should get to bed," said Rose firmly. "We're all splitting up, too. Go get some rest."

Louis staggered away, muttering something about "splitting up". Lorcan and Lysander followed, bidding Rose a good night.

"We'll meet up for some Quidditch tomorrow," said Albus absently as he passed, keeping a guiding arm on James, who was still steaming. "Lily, come on. You should be asleep by now."

Rose offered Hugo and Scorpius a weak wave before heading back to her room. She was exhausted, and wanted nothing more than to go to sleep.

Mina woke Rose early the next morning.

"Mina," groaned Rose, "what did you nick, girl? C'mere."

The cat pounced on Rose's leg. A paper heart was partially crumpled in her mouth. When Rose took it, she saw it bore the initials _LW + AB_.

"You should be chasing mice," scolded Rose, "not digging through peoples' belongings."

It was useless to try and return to sleep at that point. Bright light was already beginning to filter in through the window. Rose got out of bed and headed downstairs to make herself a cup of tea.

Someone else had obviously been struck by the same urge. Uncle Charlie was on one of the kitchen stools, sipping from a mug and reading the Daily Prophet.

"Good morning, Rose," he greeted cheerfully. "Why're you up so early, morning after Christmas?"

"Mina," said Rose, plopping the kitten on the stool beside her. "What's new in the world?"

Charlie shook his head. "Not too much, actually. Besides," he admitted, "I was checking to see if there was anything in the Prophet about Hogwarts and these Riders."

There were only two reporters that Rose had seen on the grounds so far, and they certainly were not going to be writing for the Prophet anytime soon.

"What about the Riders?" asked Rose. "They came at the end of October."

There was an open folder beside Charlie that Rose had not previously noticed. Now he tapped it and sighed.

"These reports aren't good. The attacks have been increasing at a frequency—"

"Attacks?" blurted Rose. "There's been another?"

Charlie looked startled. "By God, they haven't been telling you about them? McGonagall hasn't made any announcements?"

"There _was_ an incident," began Rose slowly, "back in November. I think a dragon got loose or something. They locked us in the castle so they could count us. But why would they do that?"

As Charlie spent most of his time in Romania, he did not see Rose's lack of deductive reasoning as suspicious. "You see," he said, "if that dragon broke free of its handlers, it was provoked. If it was provoked by a student, McGonagall would want to catch them outside the castle."

Rose nodded, her suspicions confirmed. It was fortunate for both she and James that Professor Evariste had appeared when he had. She still did not understand the reasoning behind his actions, however.

"But you said there have been attacks," said Rose, realizing the discrepancies in his words. "When we were there, the dragons didn't attack anyone. Right?"

Charlie sighed once more and flipped through the pages of the file. "There was one incident that took place during a Quidditch match. That was kept quiet. One of the Riders was injured recently—"

"Maria!"

Rose had finally realized that Charlie was going through the folder her mother had brought home from the Ministry. Her mother's assistant had said that "one of their own" had been injured. A Rider. And her dream….

Looking at Rose suspiciously, Charlie said, "Yes, a Rider by the name of Maria. She was injured while attempting to contain one of her dragons."

There was clear disdain in Charlie's voice when he spoke about the Riders. Rose assumed that it was because their opinions of dragons differed so greatly. Charlie was of the classic mindset that dragons could be controlled only to a point, and certainly could not be trained or domesticated in any way.

She refrained from asking for more information on the other attacks. Too many questions would cause Charlie to become suspicious, and she didn't want _that_ to happen.


	13. Chapter 13

"Ron, can you—Ronald, put that _down_."

His face suspiciously blank, Ron dropped Scorpius' trunk, narrowly missing his own foot.

Hermione sighed heavily. "I will levitate it into the car with the rest, Ron. Rose, have you caught Mina?"

"I just saw her," said Albus, strolling through the open front door. "Morning, Aunt Hermione, Uncle Ron. Rose, Mina's waiting for you in the car. She looks all settled in."

"We'll go get seats," said Rose quickly. "C'mon, Scorpius, let's go."

Scorpius followed without hesitation. Albus trailed behind, rummaging through his pockets absently.

"Safe," sighed Scorpius as he plopped into the car that would take them back to King Cross station.

"I'm sorry about Dad," said Rose, looking down. "I really thought he'd warm up to you. He should have."

Scorpius shrugged it off. "Plenty of people have made it clear that they don't like me," he said. "It doesn't really matter."

The journey back to the castle was slow and uncomfortable. Christmas vacation had not gone as anyone had planned, especially Rose.

She had spent so much time flying with the boys, trying to keep her father away from Scorpius, she had failed to complete most of her given assignments. Instead of resting in the dormitory with Tia Marsh and the other girls, Rose holed herself up in a corner of the library, then the common room when the library closed.

The next morning was a Saturday. Rose skipped breakfast to finish a scroll of parchment on how wolf bane affects dandelion roots for Professor Slughorn. Before noon came along, however, she was struck by an intense urge to get out of the castle. Gritting her teeth, she packed her Charms textbook and trudged into the snow.

She was surprised to see the Riders out with one of the bright scarlet dragons. Approaching them, she noticed that both dragon and Rider appeared winded, as if they had just flown a great distance.

Marco sat a bit away from the others, holding a small glass ball in the palm of one hand. He smiled at Rose as she came to sit by him, but the smile was a bit strained.

"Good morning, dragon child," he said softly as Rose sat. "I was hoping to see you again."

"What happened to Maria?" she asked bluntly.

Marco's smile faded. "It is nothing," he said, looking over to Maria, who was still on the dragon. "She and Contessa felt like going for a ride."

Rose didn't believe it for one moment. "There was a problem again," she guessed, "wasn't there? One of the dragons lost control again, didn't it?"

"You will do best to keep your voice down," said Marco, his own words now hushed. "You know too much and not enough at all. I must suggest now that you return to the castle. Lessons for today have been cancelled."

At that moment, Contessa reared back with a shattering roar. Marco struggled to his feet, but the others already had the situation under control. Maria hung onto Contessa's neck as Giovanni screamed commands. Ropes began to fly around the dragon, grounding her.

When all had been calm for a moment, Maria patted Contessa's neck and sat up.

"She is only tired," said the woman reassuringly. "I will fly her back, Giovanni. It is safe."

Marco gave Rose a look to say that she should leave as well.

"I'm going," she said, springing to her feet. "I'll be back next weekend, then, I suppose."

"I shall see you then," said Marco.

A week later, Lorcan plopped down opposite Rose in the library.

"Hello, Rose. What're you up to tomorrow?"

Rose looked up, both brows raised. She hadn't seen much of Lorcan lately; most of his free time was taken up with extra lessons with Professor Trelawney. Why would he suddenly appear now?

"I'm hoping there will be a Riding lesson," she said, though her hopes were remaining low.

"After today?" Lorcan looked surprised. "Weren't the dragons too tired to fly this morning?"

It was true. Rose had shown up that morning with a dwindling number of other students only to be told that, yet again, the lesson had been cancelled. This resigned her to another day at the library—which she loved, make no mistake there, but part of her wished to be out with the dragons.

"We haven't even flown yet," she let herself complain, "and they're supposed to put up the picks for the Race next month!"

Lorcan's carefree shrug frustrated Rose. Could he really care so little about all of it?

"I'll go with you tomorrow," he said, suddenly and decisively. "I want to see if you get to fly."

Rose's stomach lurched. Was that an offhand comment or a prediction?

The answer became clear the next morning. Rose and Lorcan jogged down the hill, worried about being late, only to find Marco playing wizard's chess with Schunverri.

"No lessons today," said Marco without looking up. "Try again next weekend."

"It's me, Marco," said Rose. "Is everyone okay? How's Maria?"

"Maria is fine," said a striking female voice. Maria had been hovering by the edge of the woods, unseen until she spoke. "Maria wants to know why students are asking such questions."

Marco sighed. "Maria - -"

"Do not 'Maria' me," Marco!" she snapped. "_Mia Dios_! Have we no secrets in the school?"

"The child merely witnessed Contessa's antics last week," explained Marko calmly. "She only asked how you were out of genuine concern."

"And is it genuine?" hissed Maria angrily. "And what if she is the one? Have you, and all of your brilliance, thought of that, Marco?"

"I can vouch for her," Schunverri said, still focused on the board. "She was with me when Isla lashed out. She is safe."

"Safe," scoffed, Maria. "Safe? He thinks that she is safe?"

"I do," replied Schunverri lightly, nudging his knight forward. "Marco, it is your turn."

Letting loose a wild cry, Maria bolted away, quickly disappearing into the trees. Marco stared at the spot where Maria had stood for a moment, then sighed.

"We must continue our game at another time, my friend," said Marco almost sadly. "I must attend to my glassblowing."

Schunverri cleaned up the chessboard as Marco stretched his arms up. Almost belatedly, he noticed Rose and Lorcan standing there.

"I suppose you young ones would want to stay around?" he said.

Lorcan nodded eagerly. "I've seen you from up in the Divination Tower," he said. "I would like to learn, but Hagrid's in danger."

His voice fell flat at the end of the sentence. Rose recognized the tone as that which Lorcan took when he was making a prophecy. It had happened once before during the previous year. What Lorcan had said had saved Dmitri from seeing his brother's death.

And now he was making a prediction about Hagrid... Rose could feel her pulse beating out of her chest.

"Lorcan," she said softly, "what do you see?"

Marco lay a hand on Lorcan shoulder as Lorcan shook his head. "Let me try something," he said to Rose. "Young one, come with me."

Rose followed Marco as he led Lorcan to his glassblowing supplies. Marco murmured an incantation to start his fire as Lorcan plopped down on a tree stump that served as Marco's usual seat.

Marco knelt beside Lorcan. He held a lump of misshapen glass, which he handed Lorcan. Lorcan gripped it automatically, and Marco wrapped his hands around Lorcan's.

"We're making a glass orb," explained Marko quietly. "You've seen them before in your Divination room, surely. Focus on your vision. Let your hands work apart from your mind."

Rose watched in awe as Marko guided Lorcan's hands into the fire to form a small glass ball. Lorcan's eyes were glazed over and locked on something far away. Marco concentrated intently on blowing the glass ball that slowly took form in Lorcan's hands.

Lorcan blinked rapidly as Marko removed his hands from the fire.

"You caught my dragon," he said numbly, tilting his head. "How did you do that?"

Rose leaned in closer. She saw something flickering in the glass ball. Was that a wing?

"You did it, my young friend," said Marco distractedly. "And isn't she a beauty."

It was, indeed, a small dragon flapping its wings inside the glass ball. Rose couldn't believe it - - had Lorcan just transferred his vision to the glass globe?

"It's Contessa," she breathed, "isn't it? Marco, that's Contessa!"

Marco nodded his head slowly, thoughtfully. "It is, indeed," he said. "Children, you must leave now. I have much thinking to do."

Rose needed no more instruction. She and Lorcan returned to the castle quickly, both wrapped up in their own thoughts. Rose murmured a goodbye before splitting off and heading for Gryffindor Tower.

"He did _what_?" cried Albus.

Rose had returned to the common room and hastily gathered Albus, James, and Lysander. Now they sat on the floor of the third year boys' dormitory.

"I told you," said Rose impatiently, "Marco was able to get Lorcan's vision in one of the glass bubbles. It moved and everything."

"Wicked," said James with a grin. "Since when could he do that?"

"He can't," said Lysander. "He's been working on his visions with Professor Trelawney, but not anything like that."

"What do you think it means?" said Albus, looking thoughtful." I mean, what about the dragon?"

"Contessa," corrected Rose automatically, "and honestly, I have no idea. I think we should talk to Lorcan about it tomorrow."

Lysander raised a brow. "Have you forgotten?" he asked, obviously amused. "Tomorrow's reverse our first mixed lesson, remember? With Hagrid and Neville. It's second and third years to the forest."

Of course - - how could Rose have forgotten? Hagrid had been talking about it for the past week, but Rose had been too preoccupied with the dragons to make note of it.

"Ah, hell," groaned Albus. "The forest? Really?"

On, and this'll be great!" exclaimed James. "Frankly, I'd have gone in there this year anyway. Do you know what sort of monsters and creatures - -"

"You're ridiculous, James," said Rose dismissively.

But over the course of the night, Rose wondered just how ridiculous James's claims were. It got to the point of her sitting up in bed, wand lit, squinting to read the section in _Hogwarts, a History_ on the Forbidden Forest.

The morning dawned pearly white. Rose vaguely recalled Professor Longbottom telling them that the cold weather would help in finding the herbs they were searching for.

Rose bundle herself up and headed to the Great Hall. The Gryffindor table was full of second and third years, up early to grab breakfast before they headed out into the snow.

Albus nodded hello to Rose as she sat. His plate was loaded with scrambled eggs and a stack of buttered toast.

"James told me I'd need my strength," he said quietly. "It is true that there are monsters in there?"

"No," sighed Rose, "it's just another one of James's tall tales. You can probably stop eating whenever you're full."

James and Lysander were already down by the edge of the forest when Rose and Albus made their way down. Giovanni was by Hagrid's hut, speaking with him and Professor Longbottom.

"We are merely concerned," said Giovanni. "Frankly, we cannot stand for another accident."

"We understand," said Professor Longbottom.

"Yeh, we've got it," said Hagrid. "We'll keep 'em away from yer dragons, not ter worry."

"Thank you," said Giovanni. "We will be watching the area, of course, but it should be far enough into the forest."

Giovanni shook both professors' hands before turning and quickly disappearing into the trees.

"Right, then!" said Hagrid loudly, clapping his hands to get the students' attention. "Yeh all heard the man. Yer not ter be huntin' 'round the forest lookin' fer the dragons, yeh hear?"

There was a general grunt of acknowledgment.

"Good," said Hagrid gruffly. "Now, Professor Neville over here - - oh yeh," he said amended as the students chuckled, "it's Professor Longbottom, ain't it? Sorry, Neville, it's just - -"

"That's all right," said Neville meekly. "Should I just explain what we're doing today?"

"Yeh, sure, why not?"

Neville cleared his throat and once again group became Professor Longbottom, the best Herbology teacher Hogwarts had seen in centuries.

"Our mission today," he began, "is to collect an herb called hegolith. Does anyone know what hegolith is?"

Rose's hand shot eagerly into the air.

"Yes, Rose?"

"Hegolith is an herb that, one crushed, turns from dark green to burgundy," said Rose without needing to think about it. "It is a known relaxer of humans, which led to it being a rumored mental stimulant."

"Very good, Rose," said Professor Longbottom promptly. "Five points to Griffindor."

Rose straightened proudly. She had already read the next chapter of the Herbology book, in which hegolith was discussed. She ignored James, who rolled his eyes at her answer. Shouldn't he be happy that she had earned some house points?

"Today," continued Professor Longbottom, "we shall be collecting hegolith from the forest. It grows in abundance there, but the snow may give you some difficulty in finding it. You will split yourselves into groups of four. These will be your groups for the remainder of the day."

Without waiting for more instruction, the Gryffindors began to put themselves into groups. No one wanted to be the last person without a group.

Rose turned to see Albus, James, and Lysander waiting for her. She grinned and joined their group. It was good to have friends.

Professor Longbottom cleared his throat. "Right, then. Each group must fill one of these bags with hegolith." He held up small velvet bags, then began passing them out to the groups.

"And yer t'do it by sunset," interjected Hagrid. "We won' be havin' yeh wanderin' 'round the forest in the dark."

"But it shouldn't take you so long by any means," added Professor Longbottom hurriedly. "You are to return to Greenhouse Two upon filling your bag. We will then discuss the affect hegolith has on creatures."

Rose nodded eagerly, though she already knew that the findings on hegolith's effect on magical creatures were inconclusive. She wouldn't mind a lesson on it - - it would give her brain some time to relax.

James immediately took charge of the group. "Let's head deep in," he said, his voice hushed, as if he didn't want the other groups to hear. "No one else will, because they're afraid of the dragons."

"As we should be," pointed out, Albus.

"Nah," said James, "we won't get anywhere near them. Come on, follow me."

After bowing respectfully, the group passed by Witherwings and entered the Forbidden Forest.

Rose was glad she had brought along her water-repelling boots and dragonskin gloves to keep warm. James quickly developed a knack for finding large piles of snow to wade through and thick bushes to push past.

"We have to slow down," said Rose as James jumped over a frozen puddle. "There's no way we'll find the hegolith at this rate."

"But we have all day," drawled James. "Come on, let's go on an adventure."

Rose glanced at Albus and Lysander. None of James's _adventures_ ever ended well.

"I should have brought the map!" cried James suddenly. "I could've seen how much of the forest it shows."

"I don't know if it does," said Rose. "Isn't it only for the castle?"

"Well," said Lysander, thoughtfully, "it might. The forest is on Hogwarts grounds, correct?"

"But the forest is huge!" said Albus. "It couldn't possibly show everything."

Rose thought about it at the boys continued to argue. The Marauders' Map was said to show all of Hogwarts, but did that include the Forbidden Forest? She wished the Marauders were alive to explain it all to them.

Another hour passed without any sign of hegolith. The group had just stopped to rest for a moment when Rose heard something. It was like a muted drumbeating against the ground. She recognized the sound moments before they arrived.

Hooves.

A group of centaurs flew into the clearing, rearing in what appeared to be anger. James had his wand out before they all landed. Rose motioned for him to put it away, but, steely-faced, he ignored her.

One of the centaurs stepped forward, his head held high regally. "Children," he said, his face twisting in a sneer. "And what would children be doing in our forest?"

Rose felt sudden heat on her chest and let out an internal scream of frustration. It was her locket.

"Please, sir," she said, getting slowly to her feet, "we were sent here by Hagrid and Professor Longbottom."

The centaur sniffed imperiously. "Unlikely," he said. "Bakah, had we any note of this?"

"Yes, my brother," said a second centaur. "The request for permission was made a year ago by Minerva, their headmistress."

A third stepped further forward than either of the other two. He approached Albus slowly, then leaned down to him, staring at his emerald eyes.

"I do not understand," said the centaur. "Time has changed you in the wrong direction, young one."

The leader of the centaurs, the first to speak, snorted. "It is not the boy child you once knew, Firenze," he said, loathing clear in his voice. "Return to the herd. It is not your place to interfere in such matters."

Reluctantly, the centaur called Firenze obeyed the order.

"Now," continued the leader, "why are you so far into our forest?"

"Please, sir," said Rose, not knowing to what other title to address the centaur by, "we are only trying to complete an assignment."

"They are not the thieves, brother," said Bakah, his voice low. "I saw no girl-child amongst the young ones, and they were larger than these males."

Rose's heart began to race. They could be in serious trouble if the leader of the centaur heard thought they were stealing from the woods.

"Girl child," snapped the herd leader, "what do you know of young ones coming into my forest? They have taken from the land, and have given nothing in return. Speak, child!"

"I - - I do not know of whom you speak," she said, trying to match their pattern of speech. "But I would like to apologize for the whole of the castle for any displeasure we have caused you. It was not our position to do so."

This silenced the centaur leader for a moment. Finally, (for Rose had been waiting with bated breath), he chuckled slowly.

"Very nice, child," he said loudly. "You are a strange one, aren't you?"

"The portent!" cried Bakah suddenly, his eyes wide. "Brother, do you believe - -"

"Silence!" snapped the leader. His dark face creased with thought. "Firenze, come forward!"

Firenze approached the other centaur silently. "Yes, master?" he said slowly.

Rose, startled, stepped backwards. Centaurs never recognized a comrade as their master. The furthest they ever went was acknowledging a herd leader, and even that was not set in stone. What Firenze had said - had done - was completely unprecedented.

But the other centaur seemed completely unfazed by it.

"You practice the old ways," he said, "do you not?"

Firenze bowed his head. "I do."

"Tell me of the portents you see, then." The centaur said _portents _with a sneer of disbelief.

"With all respect," said Firenze resolutely, "it is in and of the stars. I am not free speak of it to those -"

"You speak of what I tell you to!" ordered the leader, stamping his hooves in the snow. "Tell me of your speaking stars."

"I will not."

The dark centaur reared back on his hind legs. His brother stepped forward and leaned close to Rose.

"Get out of here," said Bakah urgently, his voice low. "Noxe will lash out at you if you are near. Keep close to the edge of the woods. Go, children, now!"

Rose hesitated, locket still blazing on her chest. She wanted to stay, to help Firenze...

Lysander nodded and wasted no time. Seeing Rose's hesitation, he grabbed her arm and pulled her along behind him. Albus did the same to James, who still had his wand out.

No one spoke until they were a good distance away from Noxe and the other centaurs. Lysander released Rose's arm and leaned against a tree.

"That was quite the experience," he said, glancing back at the path they had created. "Rose, have you -"

"Never," she said. "That just wasn't right. Since when do centaurs -"

"They don't," said Lysander.

"And Firenze?"

"He still does, it appears."

"That bloke was sure a dictator," grumbled James obliviously. "What was his problem?"

"They don't know," said Albus shrewdly. "Rose, were the centaurs acting odd?"

"Extremely," said Rose. "Herds don't work like that. And from what Noxe said, they no longer follow the stars."

"That's impossible," objected Lysander. "That would be a change of the very essence of the centaurs."

Rose shook her head. "We'll have to do more research on it, but there must be some sort of explanation. I'll have to spend some time in the library."

"You have no time," pointed out Albus. "With the dragons and Quidditch, you have no spare time."

"I'll do it, then," offered Lysander. "Now come on, we should keep moving. We still need to collect the hegolith."

Once they begin moving in a more decent pace, the hegolith was easy enough to spot. The deep green leaves turned to dark red once Rose removed her gloves and crushed it between her fingers. The bag filled quickly.

"Now we have to return to Greenhouse Two," said Lysander, tying the top of the bag. "Which way is the castle?"

Albus pointed one way as James pointed another. Rose froze as Lysander met her eyes. She had no clue which way Hogwarts was from here.

"This is why we were supposed to stay close to the Castle, James!" cried Rose. "Now we're lost."

"We are not lost," said James. "We simply need to choose direction and stick to it."

"And find those friendly centaurs again?" said Rose. "Oh, I'm sure they'd love that."

Rose's hand flew to her throat. The locket had begun to tug her forward, towards a clearing between the trees.

"Follow me," she said to the others, already stumbling forward. "I think it knows the way."

"Are you serious?" cried James. "You won't listen to me, but you'll listen to that bloody locket? Doesn't it lead you to danger?"

"No, it's cold," said Rose, "and _no_, it doesn't lead me to danger. It leads me to where I need to be."

James began to protest again, but a glare from Lysander quieted him.

Rose let the way confidently, always keeping her wand out. Her stomach ached for lack of food. How long had they been out in the woods? They had certainly missed lunch, but the sky was thankfully still light.

The trees towered above Rose as she trudged on. When they cleared away to reveal Hagrid's hut, it came as a complete surprise.

"Rosie!" cried Hagrid, who was sitting on the steps outside his hut. "Al, James, Lysander! What in the world are yeh doin' back so late?"

"We ran into the centaur herd," said Rose. "Hagrid, what happened to them?"

Hagrid's gaze darkened. "I don' go mixin' with Noxe and his lot," he said, "and neither should any of you. Now, get along to Neville. He's waitin'."

Rose let the others explain their hold up to Professor Longbottom when they arrived at Greenhouse Two. She paid no attention to the lesson that followed, trusting that Albus would take at least adequate notes.

Centaurs served as guardians of the stars, and had for as long as Rose's knowledge extended. They knew the stars' secrets and read them like Rose read books. Why would the head of the herd not know what portents the stars held?

The entire situation baffled her. But, as Albus had pointed out, there were dragons and Quidditch to think about. And, as per the norm, she was up a broom twenty minutes after dinner.


	14. Chapter 14

The first week of February came with a storm so massive, Cameron had to cancel Quidditch practices. Unfortunately, there was no canceling the impending match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff.

"I want you all to concentrate on the enemy," shouted Cameron, trying to be heard over the raging winds that blew beyond shabby wooden doors. "I want you to picture them in your head, in full detail."

"Because we won't be able to see a bloody thing once we get out there," contributed James so only Rose could hear.

If she was being completely honest, Rose had to admit that she thought the entire premise of a game in this weather was ridiculous. She had blasted away blocks of ice and snow on her way to Quidditch pitch, each piece larger than her torso. Fierce winds had attempted to remove her robe from her hunched shoulders as the snow infiltrated her shoes.

Actually holding a match in this weather was absurd. But Rose kept her opinions to herself as Cameron continued to issue his pep talk. Dominique appeared to be paying rapt attention, but she was the only one.

Rose took a pair of enchanted goggles that Cameron was handing out. He had reached the conclusion of his speech, and it was time to play.

The goggles aided in keeping the constant flow of snow out of Rose's eyes, but that only did so much. By the time Rose reached the benches by the side of the pitch, she was alone in a sea of white.

Two pairs of hands grabbed Rose and tugged her down. Her bum had the frozen bench just as she heard the fierce cry of the whistle.

"This is a bad idea," echoed Lysander's voice in Rose's ear. She assumed that if it was Lysander on her one side, his twin would be on the other. She didn't hear much else that they said over the course of the game. They would see the occasional flash of scarlet and cheer, knowing that a Gryffindor player was near.

Just as Rose was deciding to return to the castle and wait for news there, James crashed by her feet.

"Bloody hell, this game is rubbish!" cried James angrily. It was a testament to how loud he was that Rose could hear him. "How in the name of Merlin I supposed to see the Snitch?"

Suddenly, there was the explosion of a canon. James spun, nearly slipping and falling in the snow. Rose got to her feet, as did Lorcan and Lysander. There was the sound of another canon, then a third.

"Students!" called out Professor McGonagall, her amplified voice piercing through the howling winds, "you are all to return to the castle. This Quidditch match has been postponed until after the storm has lifted."

"You can't cancel Quidditch!" howled James, falling to his knees. He sank deep into the snow, which nearly came up to his chest.

In the end, Rose and Lysander had to half-carry a waterlogged James back to the common room. The entirety of the Quidditch team, as well as most other students, stood around the fire, dripping on the floor.

"McGonagall just can't do this to us," said Cameron as the team began to dry off. "We were winning!"

"You scored one goal," disagreed Louis, who was lounging in a chair by the blazing fire. His eyelids drooped lazily, and it was clear he had not come out to see the game. "One goal, and Al thought he was on the other end of the pitch."

"We'll have time to make it up," Rose reminded the rest of the team. "McGonagall said that it was only postponed. Once the snow lifts, we can go out there and finish the game. And remember, our third match is in April. We can make up for lost points then."

"We'll be against Ravenclaw," said Albus hopefully. "We'll beat them easily, right?"

Rose slipped away as the team began to discuss strategy. All she wanted was a warm, dry set of pajamas and her bed.

The blizzard eased up over the course of a week until Rose was once again able to roam the grounds. That Saturday, she went to check on how the dragons were doing.

"Welcome," said Giovanni with a grin when Rose arrived. "I knew you would come, snow or not. How are you?"

"I'm doing well," said Rose politely. "Is there a lesson today?"

"Contessa is flying well this morning," said Giovanni. "How would you like to give her a few circles?"

It took Rose a moment to realize what he meant by circles. "You mean, fly her?" she squeaked. "In... up there?"

Giovanni chuckled. "Don't give me that scared little girl routine, now," he ordered. "Marco has told me a fair bit about you, so I know you're stronger than that. Here, now, follow me."

Rose followed the large man into the forest, glancing back to meet with Witherwings' stare. She smiled halfheartedly at the hippogriff, then trudged on.

The dragon enclosure was further east in the forest than Rose had ever traveled. It was obvious why students never stumbled upon the dragons; Rose wondered if they were even still on Hogwarts grounds.

Giovanni led her to a great scarlet dragon with a large, expansive wings. The dragon had startlingly sapphire eyes that bore into Rose's as she looked up. It was a truly magnificent beast.

"She's beautiful," breathed Rose, holding out her hand for the dragon to lick. It did so gracefully, keeping most of its body still as it bowed its head almost imperceptibly.

"Very good," said Giovanni, "you remember your lessons, I see. Rose, this is our Contessa."

Rose waited until Contessa was finished licking her hand, then executed a small, precise bow. Contessa grinned and returned the bow, bearing her large, sharp teeth.

"She's beautiful," said Rose softly. "Are you sure she'll allow me to ride her?"

"Dragons are fickle," admitted Giovanni, "but she has already accepted your scent and show of respect. If you're up for it, I'd like to see how you do."

Rose took a moment to examine the large dragon.

"She's already saddled up," she said, spotting the grand saddle on Contessa's back." "You knew I was going to come, didn't you?"

"It was I, actually," said low voice.

Rose turned and saw Marco sitting on the stump of a tree. He had a stack of glass blowing tools by his side, but for now, his full attention was focused on Rose.

"Lorcan practiced with me in the snow," explained Marko almost sheepishly. "We determined that you would soon come to fly."

"He showed me a glass ball with your face inside of it," recalled Giovanni, his eyes glazed over in wonder. "It's about time we started getting your lot up in the sky anyway."

"The picks for the end of term race go up next weekend," explained Marko quietly. "It would be wise to see those we are considering fly before we post the list."

He gave a startled Rose a soft smile. She had assumed that the race would be filled with older students who'd gotten more experience on the dragons. But now - -

"Let's try it, then," said Rose, steeling herself. After all, Uncle Harry had fought a dragon and come out victorious.

Contessa blinked lazily, her large eyes scanning the woods. Giovanni patted her flank lightly as he grinned.

"We were hoping you'd say that," he said. "All right, then. Saddle up."

Rose assessed Contessa as she circled around the dragon. She was large, yes, but what from what Rose had learned about dragons, Contessa was tiny for her breed.

"Put your foot in the stirrup here," instructed Giovanni. He had to help Rose up; the stirrup was too high for her to reach.

Rose scrambled up into the saddle. Her legs were too short to reach down and rest in the stirrups. Instead, her feet dangled uselessly by the side flaps of the saddle.

"Just hold on tight with your legs," advised Giovanni as Rose squirmed, trying to make her feet reach.

"There are handles by the front," said Marco, standing for the first time. He looked to Contessa's side and leaned against a tree. "Grab onto those when you can."

"Here, now," said Giovanni, "take the reins. You use them to turn her. She won't go outside the boundaries of Hogwarts, though. Professor McGonagall helped to set up guide points."

Rose nodded, taking it all in. Stirrups. Handles. Reins. Guide points.

"I'll give her the signal to go up," said Giovanni, "and she'll shoot for that clear patch between the trees. Don't try to guide her until you're clear of trees. After that, it's up to you."

"Leaned forward when you want to go down," advised Marko quickly, before Giovanni could send Contessa to the sky. "She'll obey when she can, so do not panic if it takes a moment."

"Okay," Rose choked out.

Giovanni called out in a foreign tongue that Rose took to be Italian. Contessa flexed her toes in the soft dirt, then charged the trees. Before Rose had a moment to brace herself for impact, she was in the air.

She clutched the reins desperately, squeezing her legs in an attempt to stay on Contessa's back. The dragon flapped her immense wings, bringing the pair higher into the sky.

It was nothing like flying on a broomstick. There was the wind that pushed Rose deeper into the saddle, the air that whipped her hair around her face. The height was like a bug flying around her thoughts.

There was something comfortable about being on top of such a large creature. There was no fear of falling off, even though Rose only held on with her legs and a slippery grip on the reins. As Rose realized that she wasn't going to fall, she let out a peal of laughter.

She was flying.

Contessa seemed to know what she was doing. She began circling high above the towers of the school, making vast loops that let Rose relax.

Rose could see small dots wandering around the grounds and realized they were students. She would have waved, but as she leaned forward to balance herself with one hand, Contessa began to plummet towards the ground.

A small scream escaped Rose's lips before she remembered what Marco had said about leaning forward. She leaned back, but it was too late. Contessa was heading back for the forest.

Giovanni and Marco were waiting as Contessa landed. Giovanni extended an arm and helped Rose out of the saddle.

"A bit weak at the knees, now, are we?" Said Giovanni as Rose as legs gave out from under her. He caught her arm and helped her up as she staggered forward.

"It's a bit of a rush your first time," said Marco in his soft voice, "but you get used to it."

Rose found herself unable to speak coherently. "That was... it was just... how do you..."

"Practice," responded Giovanni. "Practice, determination, and sheer will."

That night in her dormitory, Rose thought about those three concepts. Determination wasn't a problem. It had led her last year to the cave were Sirius Black once lived. Determination had saved Dmitri's life, or so she and Scorpius had thought.

Willpower was also a nonissue. Rose had once been told that she had the will of her mother, who she knew to be a truly brilliant witch.

That left practice. Flying on Contessa was an experience that Rose was prepared, if not eager, to repeat. It was what her cousins all experienced on broomsticks: the height, the speed, the wind... it was not terrifying like being on a broom though. Flying, not falling.

She would go back the next day and try it again. After all, what was a Rider without a bit of practice?

But the next day brought a new batch of snow. Rose considered heading down to the edge of the forest to check if Giovanni was waiting. However, she hadn't returned to dormitory until late the night before, and a large pile of homework was calling her name.

It was less fun, sitting down to write a scroll on silkworm properties for Potions. After riding Contessa. Rose found herself daydreaming about soaring over a snow-covered field...

Albus plopped down in the seat across from Rose, breaking through the visions of snow and dragon scales.

"James and I are going down to see Hagrid," he said. "Are you coming?"

"Well, I just finished my Potions assignment," lied Rose, "so I might as well. Have you even started?"

"Finished it yesterday," said Albus proudly. "Lysander threatened to tell Cameron I was neglecting my studies I didn't."

"Cameron wouldn't care," grumbled Rose. "I hope he realizes that if my marks fall this term, I am blaming him."

James met them down by the Great Hall. Together, the three of them headed out into the storm.

Hagrid answered the door as soon as Rose knocked. "What d'you three think yer doin' out here?" he said, ushering them inside. "Come in, come in."

Rose shook the snow from her hair and ran her fingers through the ends. Hanging her things to dry by the fire, she heard something fall behind her.

"Sorry!" cried Albus. There was a shattered plate on the floor, along with what looked to be fruitcake.

"_Reparo_," said Rose, flicking her wand at the broken plate, which snapped back into one piece. She levitated cake and plate onto the table. Hagrid picked up a long serrated knife and nodded his thanks to Rose before looking at the fruitcake.

"It's good ter see yeh, actually," said Hagrid as he attacked the cake. "I was beginning teh think yeh'd forgotten about me."

"We hardly have any time off from Quidditch practices," said James, but it didn't sound like a complaint.

"Not in this here weather, I hope," said Hagrid. The knife didn't appear to be doing any good against the fruitcake. "This is no weather teh be flying in"

Grinning, Rose told Hagrid about the previous days flight. James gaped; he had yet to hear about Contessa.

"_You_ rode a _dragon_?" he cried, I brows leaping up his face. "_You_, who won't fly on a broom because you're afraid of falling. You, on a dragon?"

"It can't be that hard to imagine," muttered Rose as a blush crept up her cheeks.

Hagrid patted her reassuringly on the shoulder. It felt like a load of bricks pressing her down.

"Don't let James get ter yeh," he said. "Little Rosie, up in the air..."

"I would never be able to do that," admitted Albus. "Get up on a dragon? Never."

"You're up in the air all the time," argued Rose. "What difference?"

"What's the difference for you?" retorted Albus.

"It's - it's just different," said Rose. "James, are you going to try it?"

James snorted.

"What are you, mad?" said James. "I'll keep my broom, thanks."

The afternoon with Hagrid passed quickly. Rose organized two weeks' schedules in her head as the brothers talked about the latest Quidditch match.

"I've never seen worse conditions m'self," said Hagrid gruffly. "That snow was something terrible."

"Aw, it wasn't too bad," said James casually. Rose knew he was lying, but did not particularly care to correct him.

"I think the plan is to make it up this weekend," said Albus. "We'll have to see, though, with this storm coming in."

It had to be precisely the right moment to bring up what Rose wish to speak about. Hagrid was relaxed, sitting on his massive bed, chuckling at one of James's stories.

"That reminds me," said Rose. "Hagrid, you're friends with the centaurs, aren't you?"

Hagrid's good humor faded. "Centaurs aren' friends with witches and wizards," he said tersely.

"Mom said that they were friendly with you," said Rose. "When one of them taught here."

"Firenze," said Hagrid. Rose remembered one of the centaurs being called that in the forest. "We had what yeh'd call an accord, I suppose. But not friends, no."

"I've done some reading up on centaurs," began Rose.

"When?" interjected James. "You're doing more than I am, and you're not failing Potions!"

Rose ignored her cousin. "The herd we met was nothing like what I've read."

Hagrid gave her a careful look.

"Things aren' like they used teh be," he admitted, "but yer too young teh be worrin' 'bout all that."

"You called the centaur Noxe," didn't you?" pushed Rose. "You know what's going on with them, don't you?"

"Now listen and listen good," said Hagrid flatly. "The centaurs, they're not teh be messed around with, hear?"

"But -"

"No, Rosie. Now, yeh should get back to the Castle."

Rose, Albus, and James took their dry things from on top of the fireplace and bundled themselves up before returning to the castle. The snow had stopped falling, but it stood over a foot and a half high.

Rose was frustrated by the turn of event. Hagrid had been of no help whatsoever, except for confirming her suspicions about the herd. Something was definitely going on, and she was going to figure out what it was.

The weeks passed quickly by and the Professor seemed determined to work the students to death. But still, Rose pushed through. Homework hid under the table in the Great Hall as she mechanically shoveled food into her mouth. She practiced flight maneuvers that she would never execute in her head. She worked.

Saturday morning came, and for the first time in a week, Rose let herself sleep in. Her eyes closed again, and her body had just begun to relax—

"Rose!" came a voice from below. "Rose, get up!"

Groaning, Rose sat up. Still disoriented with sleep, she rose and went to the girls' dormitory staircase.

"I'm sleeping in!" she hollered down the stairs. "Go away!"

"They posted to the list for the dragon riders!" yelled Albus, "Get down here!"

Blood suddenly racing in her veins, Rose pounded down the stairs. The common room was full for a Saturday, and the crowd had formed around the notice board.

"Let her through, let her through!" cried Louis, who was near the front of the crowd. "Let Rose through, she needs to see!"

Hands pulled Rose to the front of the crowd. Someone patted her on the back as she looked up at the board. One sheet stood in front of the rest:

**League of Dragon Riders**

End-of-Term Race Contenders

**Gryffindor:** Rose Weasley

**Hufflepuff:** Herbert Chornell

**Ravenclaw:** Deasia Barnes

**Slytherin:** Tobias Krimp

"Congratulations!" said Albus, grinning. "You get to be in the Race!"

Rose was stunned. She had been certain that the Riders would choose an older student, one who had flown more than once. But no...they had chosen _her._


	15. Chapter 15

Rose went into hyper training mode with the full team of Riders immediately following the posting of the list. Giovanni and Maria were waiting for her by the forest wearing matching grins. Tethered to one of the trees was Contessa.

"I thought you didn't have to restrain the dragons." The words were out before Rose could think better.

Giovanni, however, found nothing suspicious in the statement. "We used to leave them be, yes," he confirmed, "but due to recent safety concerns…." He trailed off, and his eyes flitted to Maria's arm, which was wrapped and in a sling.

The "safety concerns" were mystery to no one. Rose went down for lessons consistently, but more than half the time, she was sent away. The dragons were either too tired to raise their wings, or in a dangerous rage.

Talks of the dragons' moods spread quickly through the school. Students became interested in the Race for the sole reason of the dragons' dangerous behavior.

Giovanni tried to offer Rose words of encouragement and comfort, but even he began to falter in his reassurances. It must have hurt, to have his dragons simply turn against him.

Riding lessons were soon restricted to the four Race participants. Not many others were interested at that point, though James and Louis made jokes about sneaking down to the enclosures in the middle of the night and going for a joyride.

"You'd never make it into the air," said Rose, rolling her eyes at the plan. "You don't know the proper words to make the dragons fly."

"You need a word?" said Louis.

"It's different for each dragon," said Rose. She had ridden Contessa each time except once. Giovanni had called a different word out to make Isla fly than he had for Contessa.

Rose met the other Race participants at the oddest of times. Herbert Chornell, the representative of Hufflepuff, introduced himself Rose in the Great Hall during lunch one day. He was a chubby boy with beady eyes that were too close together.

"I'm Herbert Chornell," he said. Rose looked up from her cereal, startled. "My brother was Head Boy last year with your cousin."

"I'm Rose," she said, though it was obvious he knew who she was. "Would you like to... er... sit?"

Herbert's sneered slightly. "Actually, I just came over to tell you that Contessa's out for the day. She attacked Maria this morning and is chained down. Marco asked me to tell you."

Without another word, Herbert Chornell walked away.

"Not one for quite conversation," assessed Lysander.

Rose didn't get that feeling from Deasia Barnes, who was waiting for a turn with a dragon one day in mid February.

"You must be Rose!" she cried as Rodolfo helped Rose off of Contessa. "Gosh, but you're so tiny! Oh, I'm Deasia, by the way. Did I mention that?"

Rose was taken slightly aback. "Er... hello, Deasia, "she said. "Have you been waiting long?"

"Oh, not at all," chirped Deasia. "Maria was just getting Vido for me to do a round on."

Rose took a closer look at Deasia. She had long dark hair pulled back into a sloppy ponytail and murky blue eyes. There was something vaguely familiar about the Ravenclaw competitor.

"Mindel and Riss send their regards, by the way," continued Deasia. That sparked Rose's memory - Deasia was one of the girls with Enchanting Enhancements.

"I'll have to visit sometime," murmured Rose thoughtfully.

In fact, Rose had forgotten about Enchanting Enhancements entirely. It couldn't stop hurt in and say hello some time when she was free.

However, Rose soon found herself with less time than ever. She soon grew used to the aching in her legs from being on Contessa. Madame Chang gave her some lotion that helped ease the pain, but nothing could rid her of it completely.

Quidditch became an impossibility in Rose's schedule. Cameron was not at all pleased when he learned that his Reserve was busy flying on dragons instead of brooms.

"If you're needed at the next game," he snapped one day, "you'd better be ready."

And she would be - she hoped.

The busy schedule was no less than exhausting. Rose fell into a chair each night in the common room, only to have Lysander reminded her of her homework.

"You're going to collapse at this rate," he said as a groggy Rose reached for her stack of schoolbooks. "Why does the Race take up so much of your time?"

Rose sighed." Dragons," she said. "Not exactly easy to manage."

She opened her Astronomy notes and found a folded bit of parchment out of place. It had Rose's name on the front.

Wearily, Rose unfolded the note.

_Rose_, it read.

_We hope this letter finds you in at least a bearable condition. Congratulations on the Race! You have a lot of work ahead of you._

_Just thought we'd give you a bit of notice that certain uncle of yours is about to stop in for a visit. He doesn't know about the Race yet, so tell him carefully, alright?_

_We'll be seeing you shortly!_

_Gemma and Genna._

Rose carefully refolded the note, put it between back in her Astronomy notes, and closed the section.

"I'm going to bed," she said. "Wake me up if the castle's on fire."

Mina was waiting on Roses pillow. She meowed once, then hopped onto the floor, winding between Rose his feet.

"Your guardians say they'll be here soon," said Rose. "Do you know what's going on?"

Instead of giving one of her odd, half human responses, Mina pranced away from Rose to chase a fly.

Tia Marsh woke Rose in time to make it to their Astronomy lesson. Rose went through the motions wearily, wishing very much that she was in her bed.

The next morning came, and Rose, with an utterly inadequate amount of sleep, stumbled her way to the Great Hall. She sat across from Albus and James and had just begun to pour herself some water when she looked up at the head table.

"Albus," she said sharply, "why is Uncle Charlie here?"

Albus and James spun around to face the head table. Surely enough, Charlie Weasley was sitting next to Professor McGonagall.

"Things are getting worse," said Lysander quietly. "They brought in Bill when Rafael was too sick, remember? And now they've brought Charlie in for the dragons."

Rose decided to keep her mouth shut about the Gemini's half-forgotten note. Now was not the time to share their latest message.

There wasn't a chance to see Charlie until after dinner that evening. Rose ran down to the edge of the forest to find Charlie with Hagrid by his hut.

"Norberta is doing just fine," Charlie was reassuring Hagrid. "Checked up on her myself before I went to stay with Bill. She's a beauty, that one is."

Hagrid nodded tearfully. "As long as she's being taken care of," he said.

Rose lingered a bit away, waiting for the men to finish their conversation. When Charlie began to walk away, she called out, "Uncle Charlie!"

He turned. "Why, if it isn't my Rosie!" he said with a grin. "What are you doing out here?"

"She's one of our Riders, of course," said Giovanni. Rose had not noticed the man lurking in the shadow of a tree. "A fine one, at that. I should've figured that the two of you were related. Did you train her?"

Charlie had gone completely still. "What do you mean, she's one of your Riders?" he said slowly.

"Not a rider in full, of course," said Giovanni, misjudging the source of Charlie's reaction. "No, I meant she's one of the participants in the end of term Race were holding."

Rose felt the sudden need to defend herself. "I mean to tell Mum and Dad soon," she said, "but you see, my owl is missing and all this happened quickly - -"

"You're telling me the Race the Minister informed me of his to be held with students?" said Charlie darkly.

To his credit, Giovanni held his ground. "That is correct," he said, still relaxed and leaning on the tree. "We chose one rider from each house -"

"The Ministry can't possibly know about this," said Charlie harshly. "I thought that you were here to teach your theories, your regulations."

"You thought wrong."

Maria had appeared from the forest noiselessly to stand beside Giovanni. Her eyes were narrowed and her mouth twisted in anger.

"We have permission of your Ministry to do this. Before you attack our ways, you had best reacquaint yourself with your own."

Sneering, Charlie turned and stomped off towards the castle.

Rose shifted her weight awkwardly. The urge to apologize for her uncle warred with the instincts to agree with everything Charlie told her about the dragons he worked with, which fought with what she knew about Contessa.

It took a moment for her to realize that Marco was speaking to her.

"—people who don't understand our ways. Will he be able to stop you from participating in the Race?"

Rose thought for a moment. "I don't think so," she said. "I mean, my parents did sign a permission form."

"Good," said Maria. She stood with her arms tightly crossed, as if still defying Charlie. "Now, child, the question is: Will your stop yourself from riding?"

The question didn't make sense until Giovanni clarified it.

"Family bonds are hard to ignore," he said. "Are you willing to go against your uncle to participate in the Race?"

It was not a choice Rose had anticipated having to make. "Well," she said, "Uncle Charlie knows a lot about dragons."

Maria began to object, but Giovanni silenced her with a look.

"On the other hand," Rose continued, "he knows nothing about _your _dragons."

"They're hardly the same," insisted Maria, unable to hold back her opinion. "They're in a mixed clan, so they're not fighting over mating. We've raised them since the day they hatched."

"That's enough, Maria," said Giovanni. "It's Rose's decision to make, not ours."

Rose hadn't been prepared to make any decisions like this today. She had planned to do a few circles on Contessa, then go back to the common room to do work. Finding Charlie had been a piece of luck... until it wasn't.

"I - - I want to fly," she finally said. "I've been working hard at it, and my parents so that I could. I'll talk to Uncle Charlie, but honestly, he can't stop me."

Maria grinned lethally, but her eyes were approving. Giovanni nodded, his opinion not clear on his face.

"Then let us fly, child," he said, a small smile touching his lips. "Come, we'll mount up by the pens."

Both Riders turned and immediately headed into the woods, missing Rose's surprised expression. The dragons were being held in pens now? That was new information her.

As Rose followed Giovanni into the forest, she suddenly noticed Mark limping along next her. He rested most of his weight on a simple wooden staff that could have been snapped off of any number of trees.

"How can you all appear without my noticing?" asked Rose. She was all too aware of the twigs snapping loudly beneath her feet.

"We have had a lot of practice," said Marco. "Did you think that it was just by chance that we were able to raise by dragons without being noticed?"

"I suppose I assumed it was all by magic," said Rose.

"The snow helps," admitted Marco. "It quiets things a great deal."

Rose had to hold in a gasp when they reached the dragons. Each one was in a separate pen, held in the center by various chains. Schunverri was in the center of the clearing, helping a boy off of Contessa.

"How is she?" called Giovanni, staying a good distance away with Maria.

"Good for another few rounds," replied Schunverri. "Tobias here says she flew just fine."

Tobias - so this was the Slytherin contender in the Race. Rose hadn't run into him until now. He was built strong with broad shoulders and limbs. Something about his face was vaguely familiar, but Rose did not actively recognize him until he spoke.

"I didn't have any problems with her today," he said, "though if anything, she was a bit slow."

Tobias - Tobias Krimp, the boy Scorpius had avoided in the Apothecary before the start of the year. From his relaxed grin and friendly tone, Rose couldn't imagine why.

When Tobias was closer, Giovanni introduced him. "Rose," he said, "this is Tobias Krimp. Tobias, Rose Weasley, our Gryffindor competitor."

Tobias held his hand out, and Rose shook it automatically. "It's good to finally meet you," he said with a grin. "Deasia keeps talking to me about you - her sister's in my year."

"I've only ever seen her a few times," said Rose, surprised. "She's very... friendly."

Chuckling, Tobias nodded. "I understand what you mean," he said. "She's sweet, though. I'm really looking forward to the Race."

"I'm currently ignoring it," said Rose honestly. "I'm just thankful we have until June."

"Sorry to interrupt," said Marco politely, "but Rose should fly before it gets dark out."

Rose had forgotten how late it was. Already, the sun was threatening to set. She vaguely recalled Cameron telling her about sunset practice that evening. It would be another sleepless night.

From high in the air, Rose watched Tobias return to the Castle. He was right about Contessa - she was slower than usual, but Rose didn't mind. In fact, it was relaxing to sail slowly around the grounds.

After dismounting, Rose ran to the Quidditch pitch, hoping that Albus had thought to bring a spare broom for her. She waved at Hagrid as she passed by, ignoring his confused expression.

When she reached the pitch, she was out of breath. To make things worse, the team was already in the air. Luckily, Rose spotted a broom a few steps away from her.

"Sorry I'm late," she called out to Cameron as she shot into the air. "Where do you want me today?"

"Shadow Albus," said Cameron, reprimanding Rose with a glare.

Rose spent the rest of the evening trying and failing to catch up with Albus. He hardly ever stayed in one spot for more than a second, and that was never long enough for Rose to catch him.

When Cameron finally gave the signal to land, Rose did so happily. She had begun to get dizzy, as she often did during Quidditch practice. Resisting the urge to lean on the school's broom, Rose waited for Albus to land.

"How was riding?" asked Albus as he touched down.

They immediately began to walk; Cameron preferred to talk to the team before practice, not after.

"Well," said Rose. "I'm looking forward to sleeping."

"Not too late, remember," said Albus. "We still have a mixed lesson all morning."

"What?" Rose dug through memory, vaguely remembering scribbling the date of the next mixed lesson in her planner, but she hadn't had a chance to open that in ages.

Albus laughed quietly. "They need to have you riding less," he said, shaking his head." It's messing with your memory."

Rose ignored the jab. "You're starting to sound like Uncle Charlie," she said. Seeing Albus' confusion, she recounted the evening's adventures.

"So add that to my list of things to do tomorrow," groaned Rose as they reached the common room. "Make amends with Uncle Charlie."

"Maybe he'll be at the lesson," said Albus. "Hagrid told me it's on dragons."

Instead of asking when Albus had time to visit Hagrid, Rose said that she was all in for the night. She was the first in her room to turn in, which was fine by her. It meant peace and quiet as she drifted to sleep.

Rose didn't realize it was March first until Albus told her over breakfast. It was still freezing outside, sign of winter still to come.

Hagrid grinned widely as Rose and Albus approached.

"Albus and Rosie," he said, his voice sounding like how he would talk to a baby. "Do yeh know what's comin' down terday?"

"One of the dragons, we heard," said Albus.

"Vido," sighed Hagrid fondly. "He's a beauty, that one is. I went out teh see 'im an' the others a few days ago." His eyes glazed over in fond memories.

The rest of the first and second year Gryffindors arrived and took their seats on benches Hagrid had set up. Patiently – well, some more patiently than others - they waited for Vido to arrive.

"I heard he's the huge green one," said James eagerly. "Is that true, Rose?"

Rose had to remember that most of these people had never seen one of the dragons up close. Only four the interested student had gotten to ride before the picks for the Race.

"Yes," she said, "Vido's the large emerald one. He's a bit too fiery for me, though. I've only ridden him once or twice."

But when Giovanni and Schunverri emerged from the forest, they were leading Contessa. Rose immediately noticed the difference between the day before and now. The Dragon dragged her claws through the dirt almost lazily. Her eyelids drooped, and her head was lowered sleepily. Perhaps Contessa was coming down with some sort of illness. The Riders would find a remedy for her, and they had Charlie to help.

"Sorry about the change of plans," said Giovanni, addressing the group at large. "Vido wasn't feeling up to coming this morning, so we brought Contessa instead."

Contessa didn't look up to it either, if Rose was being honest with herself. But she would never say such a thing; she respected Giovanni too much to question his judgment.

Hagrid began the lesson as Contessa lowered her belly to the ground.

"So - er - this 'ere is Contessa," said Hagrid, "and she's an Italian Red Snapper, ain't she?"

"That's right," said Giovanni.

"So then, the Italian Reds were firs' bred over in Italy," said Hagrid. A few people snickered. "That may seem obvious ter some, but it's a new breed, only seen in the past, say, twenty years."

The lesson read more like a review of what Rose had learned during riding lessons. She propped her chin on her palms and watched Contessa, whose condition was slowly changing.

The dragon's bright sapphire eyes opened slowly, then rolled around take in the scene. They were fiery and lively, not at all how they had looked mere minutes earlier.

Heat spread across Rose's chest. Startled, she scanned the area, but saw no immediate danger. The locket continued to rise in temperature as Rose looked around. She met Contessa's fiery eyes and realized where the danger lay.

"Hagrid!" she cried, leaping off the bench. "Hagrid, move!"

Everyone turned to stare. Giovanni looked at her from the place he had assumed by Marco's side.

"Rosie?" said Hagrid, perplexed. "Rosie, what's -"

A loud roar cut him off. Contessa lunged to her feet, her magnificent head tilted back in anger. Before anyone had a chance to react, she took a large paw and slammed it into Hagrid.

Someone screeched shrilly. Rose lunged forward, one hand clutching her locket, but strong hands caught her and slammed her back to the bench. A patch on her arm immediately began to throb, and Rose thought it might bruise.

Contessa took another massive paw and slammed it into Hagrid, who was struggling to get to his feet. She tilted her head back again and let loose a plume of scarlet fire.

Giovanni tackled Contessa, wrangling with the dragon until he was on her back. Marco was digging through his bag - would use one of his sharp glassblowing tools to regain control of the situation?

But Marco pulled out a simple set of wooden pipes. They bore small carvings that looked to be of dragons. As Giovanni wrapped his arms around Contessa's neck, Marco began to play.

The hands holding Rose back released her, and she's popped off the bench, ready to do something, anything. After all, Contessa was supposed to be the calm, noncombative one, the dragon who didn't go through these crazy mood swings.

However, Contessa had frozen at the sound of the pipes. Her claws dug into the soft dirt, ripping up chunks of grass, but her shoulders slumped in relaxation. Giovanni released her neck to pull out one of the cords from his bag. One went on at the muzzle, while another became reins. The entire process took less than a minute.

Without a word to the class, Giovanni turned Contessa towards the Castle and kicked her into motion. Her large wings unfurled, and moments later, both dragon and Rider were airborne.

Marco dropped his pipes and rushed to where Hagrid lay still on the grass. The limp was less noticeable when he was moving quickly.

Tim Marsh was already by Hagrid's side. She had removed her school robe and was using it to try and stop some of the bleeding. The other students surrounding Hagrid scattered as Marco arrived, but Tia remained.

"Lacerations across the chest and one leg," she said as soon as Marco knelt down. "One across the left side of his head, bleeding heavily. I covered the chest, but his head looks pretty bad."

Marco yanked on a cord that fell below the neck of his shirt. It was connected to a whistle, which he blew immediately. There was silence for a moment, then another whistle echoed out of the forest. Seconds later, an answering whistle came to the Castle.

"Help is on the way," he said quietly. "Continue applying pressure. I need another robe."

Before Albus and James could stop her again, Rose rushed over to Hagrid side, pulling off her robe as she went. Marco took it with a nod.

"Press this against his head," he ordered. "I need my wand."

Albus appeared, holding Marco's bag. Marco reached inside and pulled out his wand.

"Move back, you two," he said, a determined look on his face.

Rosa and Tia fell back, though Tia looked reluctant to leave her post. Her hands were covered in blood, as were Rose's own.

Marco tapped his wand on Hagrid's chest. "_Enivda Immobilla_," he said softly.

Hagrid took one last labored breath, and then - nothing.

Loren Nicosa screamed again.

"He's dead!" she cried, tears running down her cheeks. "He's dead, he's dead, he's dead!"

The students began to murmur, and a shiver ran down Roses spine. Hagrid couldn't possibly be dead, it just wasn't possible!

"He's not dead!" shouted Marco. It was the first time Rose had heard him raise his voice. "I have frozen him in his current state until he can be transported to a healing facility."

With a loud pop, Professor McGonagall appeared next to Marco.

"I have removed the enchantments on the forest and this area," she said quietly. Rose could only hear her because she into she was standing so close. "Your Riders will be able to Apparate here, as will the Healers from St. Mungo's. Have you -"

Before she could finish, three loud pops went off in quick succession. Maria, Rodolfo, and Schunverri went to Marco's side, all three looking down at Hagrid.

"Contessa is secured," said Maria. "Giovanni is staying. Healers?"

"On their way," said McGonagall. "Marco have you - why isn't he breathing?"

Another pop, and Charlie Weasley appeared. He assessed the situation quickly, then clapped Marco on the shoulder.

"Fine work," said Charlie with it on. "It looks like you froze him just in time."

"I thank you for your suggestion," said Marco earnestly. "I would not have thought to treat him this way."

"Do not discredit yourself," said Maria harshly. "Your quick response has saved him, Marco. The thinking was of yourself, not the Romanian."

A group of witches and wizards appeared simultaneously. They were all dressed in the blue robes of St. Mungo's emergency response team. They swarmed Hagrid and, without a word, disappeared.

"I will be there as soon as I secure the castle," said McGonagall. "You four, go ahead. Marco, you will have to unfreeze him."

With a grim nod, Marco disapparated. Maria, Rodolfo, and Schunverri followed a moment later.

Professor McGonagall took a deep breath, then turn to the students. "I am going to escort you all back your common room," she said softly. The students were silent. "The rest of your day's classes will be canceled."

Rose stuck next to Tia, who was quite pale. Her hands, still covered in blood, began to tremble.

"My aunt's a healer," Tia told Rose suddenly. "She works at St. Mungo's. I've gone in with her before - - - to learn..."

That explained Tia's immediate response to the situation, and her cool head when dealing with it. Rose was jealous - Tia had known what to do while Rose just sat there like a fool.

The walk back to the Castle was silent. Rose and Tia peeled away from the others and headed for the hospital wing. Albus, James, and Lysander followed without a moment's hesitation.

Madame Chang was subdued as she cleaned the blood off of Rose and Tia. She hugged each girl tightly before sending them on their way.

"Victor the Valiant," Lysander told the Fat Lady. She nodded glumly and swung open to reveal the portrait hole.

The common room was as silent as the corridors. Rose bypassed Albus, James, and Lysander, who fell in together. The fifth bed in the girl's dormitory was calling her name.


	16. Chapter 16

The rest of the day went by without any news on Hagrid's condition. Rose spent a few hours in her dormitory, but there was no use in moping around. That wouldn't help, but there was something that could.

"I want to talk to Professor Evariste," she said to Albus, who had been flipping through his Transfiguration book aimlessly.

He looked up. "For what?"

Rose tapped her robe where the locket was concealed. "I need some answers."

Shutting his book, Albus nodded. "James is trying to get Cameron to schedule practice for tonight," he said. "His way of coping, I suppose."

"That's all right," said Rose. "We're going to find Scorpius. We wouldn't want to mix the two."

Right before they were about to leave the common room, Rose remembered something else as she wanted to talk to Professor Evariste about. She ran back up to her dormitory and through the trunk to find what she was looking for - the Gemini's Journal.

She hadn't tested it since the morning it appeared next Lysander's chair. There had been no time for Rose to explore it further, and quite frankly, she still did not trust it.

"Let's check the library," suggested Rose as she and Albus slipped out of the portrait hole. "Maybe he went there for some homework."

The corridors were abandoned. News about the attack on Hagrid had spread through the Castle like Fiendfyre. Hagrid was one of the most well-liked teachers in the school, even with the Slytherins, who were most reluctant to show it.

Against all odds, Scorpius sat alone at a table in the library, paging through _Dragon Folklore_ without pausing to read anything. He looked upward Rose and Albus reached his table. See their expressions, he shut the book.

"We're going to talk to Professor Evariste," Rose whispered, ignoring the looks shot at her from other tables. "You coming?"

"Course I am."

Scorpius left his book on the table and followed Rose and Albus into the hall.

"I heard about this morning," he said after a slight silence. "Did it look bad?"

"Pretty bad," said Albus grimly, "but they came for him right away from St. Mungo's."

"They're good, I suppose," said Scorpius. "Rose, I also heard that you were involved."

She had been hoping that people would have forgotten about her outcry in the excitement and panic. Apparently, word had spread as fast as she had feared

"Only minorly," said Rose, "and it's something I don't want people talking about, to be honest."

"It was the locket again, wasn't it?" said Scorpius, his voice hushed. "Rose, you should tell someone about that thing."

"I already told Professor Evariste last year," said Rose, "remember? And he doesn't know thing about it."

"The why are we going back?"

Rose raised her right hand were she had been holding the Gemini's journal - and found it to be empty.

"Oh, honestly!" she cried. "If they could only - I mean, for a moment!"

"I think it she lost something," Alice muttered to Scorpius.

Rose heard. "If you would like to care to know," she said hotly, "I haven't _lost_ anything."

"Just felt like paying Evariste casual visit," said Scorpius, one brow raised. "Got it."

Ignoring the jibe, Rose considered the journal's disappearance. It was unlikely that she had set it down in the library - she didn't make a habit of misplacing books, especially important ones.

She shook her head and kept walking, determined to figure it out... later.

As usual, Professor Evariste let them into the office door after only one knock. He assessed the three students gravely, then moved aside to let them in.

"I can't say that I'm surprised to see the three of you here," he said with sigh. "Please, sit down. I'll make the tea."

As the boys sat, Rose took a chance to check her bag for the journal. It wasn't there, which didn't surprise Rose as much as it frustrated her.

"So," said Professor Evariste as Rose sat, "Rose, I hear that you were directly involved in the attack on Hagrid."

Rose winced. It sounded even more unpleasant the way he had said it.

"It didn't happen that way," said Scorpius, frowning slightly.

Professor Evariste rose a brow. "Oh? I was not aware of your presence at the event."

"We explained it to him on the way here," said Albus before Scorpius could respond.

"I shall rephrase my inquiry, then," said Professor Evariste. "Rose, what was your involvement in the... incident?"

Rose clenched her locket automatically, rubbing the raised _P_ on the front of it. It was reassuringly cool in her grip.

"It started heating up while Hagrid was teaching his lesson," she said, "and I tried to warn him away from Contessa, but it was too late."

"Don't blame yourself," said Scorpius comfortingly. "You did everything you could."

Incredulous, Rose shot him a glare. "I'm not blaming myself for anything," she said sharply. "Though I might have reached him in time if _someone_ hadn't held me back."

The next glare was directed towards Albus.

"You would have been killed if she hit you like that!" he protested. "Hagrid's lucky he's part giant."

Twirling his wand between his fingers, Professor Evariste studied the three carefully. "It is interesting to note that the locket is warning not only to you—" He pointed his wand at Rose. "—but to danger posed to those around you as well."

"But we already _knew_ that," said Rose, "with the Delaney storm last year. I wasn't in danger, but Rafael was."

"And Alistair didn't try to hurt us in the cave," added Albus. "Rose was just sort of against him."

"It's such an interesting study," said Professor Evariste. "I do wonder what is inside of it, but that shall be revealed in due course, I am certain. Rose, did it propel you forward today?"

"No," said Rose slowly, "it just heated up. I tried to go forward myself."

"James and I held her back," explained Albus. "And just in time, too."

A loud bang shook the room. Rose reached for her wand and saw Albus and Scorpius had done the same. Professor Evariste, however, merely looked surprised.

"So soon," he said lightly. "And here I was thinking it would be another hour or so. Remarkable."

As he spoke, a mossy green envelope shot out of the dormant fireplace. It was carried out on a bed of emerald sparkles, which disappeared as the letter fluttered onto Professor Evariste's desk.

He looked at the students, then chuckled. "Floo Mail," he explained, opening the letter. "The Ministry is developing it, and I'm one of the testers. Now, then, let's see."

The letter poked open and hovered a few inches above the desk. Rose was immediately reminded of the Howler James had sent Albus a few years ago. But instead of shrieking, his letter spoke to him in Harry's calm, quiet voice.

"_Hazen_," it began. "_We thank you for the information on Hagrid. We are currently at St. Mungo's with Professor McGonagall awaiting more information. The Healer in charge says that he is stable, but we won't be able to see him for hours at the least. Please give our love to the children._

_Thank you once again._"

Without warning, the letter spun around, then shredded itself into a fine confetti that flew back into the fireplace, pushed by an invisible wind

"They're called Whispers," said Professor Evariste, examining the cups of tea to ensure no paper had polluted them. "I find them quite enjoyable, don't you?"

"So Mum and Dad are with Uncle Harry at St. Mungo's," said Rose slowly, registering information. "The news on Hagrid is good, at least."

Scorpius had gone remarkably pale. "What wing would Hagrid be in?" He asked hesitantly. His light gray eyes surveyed the room cautiously.

"Magical Creature Accidents, I would assume," said Professor Evariste. "Why?"

Shaking his head, Scorpius remained silent.

Rose thought it to be a curious question. What matter what wing Hagrid was in, as long as he was getting help?

"Do you think they're going to let you keep riding?" asked Albus. "It's getting pretty dangerous."

"I hope they do," said Rose. "I mean, the dragons are never bad when we're flying."

"All it takes is once," said Professor Evariste grimly.

Most of Hogwarts seem to agree with him. Rose found herself at the end of many nervous stares and interested glances. The attack on Hagrid had piqued the school's interest in the Race participants.

Rose's least favorite part of the day quickly became meals, mainly dinner, when all the students were present. She felt like she was stuck inside a looking glass with the whole world looking in.

"This must be what Uncle Harry feels like," she said over dinner one day.

James shrugged. "You get used to it," he said, "and they will too. The celebrity wears off after a while."

"That's probably the only good advice you've ever given," said Albus, nodding. "Good job"

"Reveling in your newfound fame?"

Rose turned. Tobias Krimp had appeared behind her.

"It's great," she said flatly.

"Giovanni sent me to get you and Deasia," said Tobias, leaning against a pillar. "I went down to see what was going to happen with the Race."

"I'll just grab a roll and head down," said Rose.

Tobias and Deasia awaited her by the front doors. She munched on her roll while Deasia prattled on about Hagrid.

"We wanted to pool in some money to send flowers," she said, "but we don't know his room number. Isn't it just awful?"

Rose nodded, still chewing.

"I hope they don't cancel the Race," said Tobias. "I'm really starting to get the hang of it."

Rose swallowed. "I agree," she said. "Who do you usually ride?"

"Vido," said Tobias. "He's got a bit of a temper, he does."

"I'm with Isla," chirped Deasia. "She's an absolute sweetheart!"

It was tempting, Rose's urge to tell Deasia how Isla nearly took Maria's arm off - but she resisted.

The fourth Racer, Herbert Chornell, was already by Hagrid's hut. It was depressing to see the windows dark in the sunset.

"About time," Herbert muttered.

Giovanni was waiting for them by the edge of the forest. He nodded as the Race participants approached.

"We are currently in talks with Professor McGonagall about the Race," he said solemnly, needing no introduction to the topic that was on everybody's minds. "In the meantime, we will continue to train those who are willing."

"You must think hard about this," said Maria, appearing from behind a tree. She led Vido into the clearing. He wore a tight muzzle, but his claws dug into the dirt restlessly.

Rose's heart started pounding as Maria continued. She released the reins to wave her hands around, emphasizing her point. Rose his eyes followed the reins of this one back and forth... like a chain...

Like the locket, which was suddenly blazing against her chest.

"Maria!" she cried, her mind coming back to the present. "Maria!"

Maria ignored her. "Yes, Deasia, just like that."

Without Rose noticing, Deasia has begun to approach Vido.

"Deasia, _no!_" screamed Rose. "_No!_"

Tobias launched himself off the bench and tackled Deasia to the ground. Vido let loose a choked howl and spun, his tail whipping out and slamming through the air where Deasia had been standing.

Breaking free with a cry of her own, Maria sprung onto Vido's back and grabbed the reins. Giovanni rushed to where Deasia and Tobias lay, staying close to the ground himself.

Vido took to the air with Maria atop him, tugging on the reins. When all was quiet, Tobias looked up.

"She's pretty brilliant,"

As if only just realized where he was, Tobias suddenly rolled over and off of Deasia. Shaking, she sat up, looking around in a dazed way.

"What just happened?" she asked.

Giovanni looked at Rose. "I believe this young lady here just saved your life."

Rose realized she had been clutching her locket. She released hastily, hoping no one noticed.

"Tobias saved her, not me," she said quickly.

"Only after you called out a warning," countered Tobias.

"But -"

"But nothing. It was you."

Giovanni and Deasia both looked at Rose in wonder. Rose flushed and wished they would look away.

"It was just - I mean - I saw how Vjdo was eyeing her," she stuttered. "I just wanted to help."

"Oh, no one doubts that, child," said Giovanni reassuringly. "You have acted quite bravely."

Deasia stared at Rose with wonder. Her mouth moved as if to speak, but no words came.

Looking down at Deasia and Tobias, Giovanni pursed his lips and thought. "You two had better be off to the hospital wing," he said. "Let Madame Chang have a look at you, just in case."

"I'm fine," reassured Tobias, "just a bit dirty. Come on, Deasia, you should get checked out."

Giovanni looked around as the two stood.

"Where's the other boy?" He asked. "Rodolfo's pick. Where did he go?"

Rose had assumed that Herbert was the site her the entire time. Looking around for herself, he realized that he was gone.

"Is that him over there?"

Tobias had spotted the curly mess of brown hair that was bent over the bush behind Hagrid's hut. By the looks of things, Herbert Chornell was in the process of being sick.

"Strong stomach," laughed Tobias. "C'mon, Deasia, let's get going. Rose?"

She looked longingly at the sky were Maria had taken off to, but the reasonable part of her knew that she would not be permitted to fly after an attack. Sighing, she nodded and joined the other Racers.

* * *

Rose knew that word spread quickly through the school, but she had not anticipated such a drastic change in the days following Deasia's attack. It began with the girls in her dorm.

"I just cannot believe it!" squeaked Kara Walsh when Rose walked in that night. "Why did you never tell us you're a Seer?"

"I'm a - a what?" Said Rose, startled.

"A Seer, Rosie!"

"You saw that dragon thing before it happened," said a wide-eyed Mary Deverill. "You saw it, Rose. You had a vision."

"A premonition!" cried Loren Nicosa. "You're a Seer!"

Rose locked eyes with Tia Marsh, who was sitting on the edge of her bed, barely concealing laughter.

"What happened?" Rose asked her quietly, sitting on her own bed.

"Dominique said that Herbert Chornell saw the entire thing," said Tia. "The prefects were having a meeting with McGonagall when he came back alone. He told his prefect what happened, which resulted in the other prefects knowing... things tend to trickle down."

"But how does this make me a Seer?" asked Rose, growing frustrated. It had been a long enough day, and now all she wanted was a bit of rest.

Tia raised a brow. "Don't act dumb, Rose," she said. "You knew about the attack before it happened. And unless you have another explanation..."

Rose resisted the urge to fiddle with her locket. It was a plausible story, her being a Seer... but she really didn't want to go around lying forever.

She sighed. It was late, she was tired, so there's no use in getting worked up over something she could not change.

Unfortunately, she had forgotten about one important element.

"Rosaline Weasley!"

Rose looked up from her cereal. It had been an odd enough breakfast already, what with all of the staring and whispering going on. And now -

"Professor Trelawney?"

The frail woman stood beside the table, her large glasses making her gray eyes the dominant feature of her face.

"Dearest Rosaline," Professor Trelawney, "why have you not come to me sooner?"

Rose's mind raced, trying come up with an acceptable excuse.

"I've been... err... busy," she said. "This is all quite new -"

"I was so happy when young Lorcan told me of your rise to power," said Professor Trelawney. She said Lorcan's name fondly, like our cat lady would speak about a new kitten.

"We are holding a lesson tonight," she continued, absently toying with a loose thread on her robes. "You should arrive at the tower directly after dinner."

With a wave of her hand, Professor Trelawney left Rose and drifted out of the Great Hall.

"You should feel honored," said Lysander with a grin. "She never comes out of that tower unless it's important."

Rose narrowed her eyes and huffed. "Do I not have enough to take care of as it is?" she complained, taking a fork and stabbing at her cereal. "Why would Lorcan do this to me?"

"Don't whine," ordered Albus. "I'm sure he had good reason."

"I have good reason not to go," said Rose, tugging on her locket chain. "What am I supposed to do? Pretend to see something? Fake a vision?"

"Trust Lorcan," said Lysander. "Has he ever led you astray before?"

Glaring at him, Rose pushed her cereal aside. "I lost my appetite," she said, standing. "Albus, I'll meet you at Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Rose climbed back up to the seventh floor. She ignored the Fat Lady's greeting and snapped, "Pixie dust."

"Have a nice day?" ventured the Fat Lady as Rose clambered through the portrait hole.

Frustrated, Rose entered her dormitory and threw open her trunk, searching for anything to distract her. Lying atop the pile of books she automatically reached for was the Gemini journal.

How had it returned to the room, to her trunk? With great trepidation, Rose picked up the journal. There was an inkwell and quill lying on her desk, both ready for use. Rose opened to the first page, which was blank once more. She let a drop of ink fall onto the page. Almost immediately, the black spot was sucked into the parchment.

_Hello, Rose._

The words appeared without a moment's hesitation.

_We knew that you'd come back eventually._

_Good work with that dragon._

_Superb.._

_Unfortunately, as you have learned, this complicates things a bit._

Rose thought for a moment, then wrote, _Where are you?_

_Sorry, but that's classified._

_You wouldn't understand even if we told you._

_But we won't._

_No, indeed._

_I don't have much time,_ Rose wrote. _What do I do about everyone thinking I'm a Seer?_

The page wiped itself blank, then the Gemini responded.

_Unless you think it's time to tell everyone about that locket of yours, we would recommend going along with the lessons._

_Who knows? They may even help after all._

Frustrated, Rose slammed the journal shouts and capped her ink. How much time had gone by? It wouldn't do to be late Professor Evariste class.

She was actually among the first students to arrive. Professor Evariste sat behind a long table, clothed in shimmering robes of gold. On the table lay a variety of musical instruments.

"Good morning, Rose," he said delightfully. "Please take your pick of instruments on his table. We will be using them in a lesson today."

Rose studied the available instruments. There were large drums, shining flutes, and robust horns. At the far end of the table was a wooden set of pipes. She picked them up gingerly, weighing them in her palm.

Professor Evariste leaned down to examine her selection. "A fine choice," he said quietly. "Beautifully crafted, and the tone is crystal clear."

"I like them," said Rose decisively.

"Then off to your cushion you go!"

The rest of the class filtered in and made their musical selections. Albus and Scorpius both got silver horns; Callum Leach, the last to arrive, was assigned a harp.

"Now, "said Professor Evariste once everyone was seated, "you are all more than halfway through your second year, correct?"

There was a general murmur of assent.

"Well then, I believe it is time to begin our Beginners section for Defense Against Dark Creatures. Can anyone define for me what precisely a dark creature is?"

Rose's hand was the first (and only) in the air. "Dark creatures are those creatures which work against the positive stream of good Wizarding life. They range from annoyances, like Hinkypunks, to hazardous destructive creatures, like Gradians."

"An excellent answer!" cried Professor Evariste "Five points to Gryffindor for Miss Weasley's preparedness for this class.

"Now, we will begin with the most basic of all defenses against any sort of creature. How many of heard the saying, music soothes the savage beast?

A number of hands went up, including Rose's and Albus'. Scorpius glanced between them, looking confused.

"Wonderful! That is simply excellent. Now, we have all chosen musical instrument, have we not?"

Callum Leach glared at his harp. A few of the other Slytherins snickered at their friend's misfortune.

Professor Evariste continued. "The plan is this: I will release a relatively tame dark creature to roam the room. When it comes to you, you are to try and soothe it using your musical instrument. It is quite clear?"

Rose nodded eagerly. What kind of creature would he release it on a class of second year? Certainly nothing she couldn't handle.

A crate on the center of the long table called the class's attention. It began to rock back and forth, the old wood groaning and creaking with effort. When Professor Evariste pointed his wand at it, the crate flew apart with a loud bang.

The creature revealed resembled a larger scaled bird. Its metallic feathers were an emerald green, and it's claws were black and shining.

Rose gasped loudly and toppled back off her cushion. If the creature was but she thought it was, the class was in for a whole lot more than they had bargained for.

Some of the students laughed at the creature began to beat its wings frantically. Kara Walsh and Mary Deverill cooed as the light from the windows shimmered across the bird's feathers.

There wasn't enough time to build the protections that Rose wanted. She began to mutter spells and wave her wand in figure eights and circles. The spells were advanced, too advanced for a second year, but all Rose could do was try.

"Why - what are you doing?" said Scorpius. "Rose? Rose!"

"Hush!" she snapped. He was breaking her concentration. "_Protego… Maxima Protego…._"

Loud laughter came from the front of the room. Startled, Rose dropped her wand. The thin veil that had risen between her table and the rest of the room shattered.

Professor Evariste continued to chuckle as he approached Rose, Albus, and Scorpius. "Don't be afraid," he said, still grinning. "Rose, do you really trust me that little?"

"That's an Adarna," she said. "Its cry is fatal to any that hear it."

Eyes wide, Scorpius jammed his fingers in his ears.

"Relax," said Professor Evariste. "You're in no danger. The creature's voice box has been removed. Hagrid performed the operation himself at the start of the year."

Rose felt immensely stupid. Of course Professor Evariste wouldn't do something to hurt them. He was a teacher.

Scorpius took things out of his ears and looked about, confused. "So it's not going to kill us?" he said to check.

"No, it is perfectly safe."

Oblivious to their near peril, the rest of the class watched the Adarna flap its way around the room. It lighted first in front of Tomasa Kerpbow, who had been talking with Odessa Blackwell. Both girls looked to Professor Evariste, who just smiled.

"You may wish to hurry," he called to them. "She bites."

As if to prove his point, the Adarna lunged for Tomasa's hand. She shrieked and dropped her pan flute, which clattered to the floor. Odessa began to beat the small drums she'd chosen, but the clatter only seemed to aggravate the bird more.

Professor Evariste whistled shrilly, and the Adarna flew over to perch on his knee.

"Now you try it."

Rose brought the pipes to her lips and blew into them hurriedly. The result was a cacophony of notes that sounded no more like music that Odessa drumming. Frustrated, Rose tried again.

"Blow into one at a time," advised Professor Evariste. "There you go, now."

What came out was a high, clear tone. The Adarna shifted on Professor Evariste's knee but did not attack. Rose tried again, this time a wider pipe. That one produced a deeper, richer note.

"Very nice," said Professor Evariste as Rose continued to experiment on the pipes. "Try repeating two or three notes."

Rose put three notes together and began playing them in succession. The Adarna's head lilted to one side, and its eyes shut and utter relaxation.

With a soft smile, Professor Evariste pet the Adarna's head. "Now to wake her and allow the other students a chance. Very nice, Rose, very nice."

As Professor Evariste moved to another group, Scorpius scowled at his horn.

"I bet mine would have scared her off," he huffed.

Albus shrugged, examining his instrument. "Probably," he said.

Rose continued to play the pipes until class ended. Then she noticed her lips to be quite dry and sore. Albus laughed as she tried in vain to wet them.

"Oh, hush!" she snapped.

Professor Evariste returned to the front of the room, placing the dozing Adarna on her perch.

"So," he said, "I hope you all had a productive lesson. What have we learned?"

"Adarnas don't like harps," muttered a Slytherin boy. Callum Leach, who was nursing a small bite wound, glared at him.

"That's a good starting point," said Professor Evariste. "Now, I must advise you all of the little test I set up for you."

Some of the room groaned.

"Ah, come now, it'll be fun! You see, I'm going to let my little friend here roam the castle for a few weeks. I will give you this advice: carry your instruments with you at all times. It will serve as your shield against any unpleasantries."

Rose nodded, pleased with her choice. Scorpius and Albus, on the other hand, shared a dubious glance.

"Class is now dismissed." Said Professor Evariste as an afterthought. "Thank you!"

The Adarna flew past Rose as she was packing her bags.

"I wonder what will happen if it goes to someone without instruments," she wondered aloud.

Professor Evariste heard her. "Oh," he said, "that is where all the fun begins."

* * *

The rest of the day was both irritating and amusing. Classes were frequently interrupted by a swoop of green feathers. The Adarna had a knack for finding classes where the second years were attempting to work.

The teachers tolerated the noise that always followed the Adarna's entrance at the students tried to ward off attacks. Rose's pipes proved to be among the most effective instruments, so she frequently found herself playing until the Adarna dosed off.

Lorcan was waiting at the Gryffindor table when Rose and Albus arrived from Transfiguration. He grinned at Rose, who glowered back.

"Ah, don't be cranky," he said, pushing a scrap of parchment towards her. "Take a look."

Lorcan's artistic skills were quickly improving. Rose saw herself - she was sitting on cushions next to Lorcan in what can only be Professor Trelawney's room. In her hand, she held a long feather.

"Is that my Phoenix feather?" she asked.

"I didn't know you had a Phoenix feather," said Lysander with interest. "Where did you get it?"

"Scorpius' birthday present," she replied absently, still examining the drawing. "So this is why Professor Trelawney came and found me?"

"Suppose so. Want a brownie?"

"Not before dinner," she scolded. "What should I bring to the lesson, anyway?"

"Apparently your Phoenix feather," said Albus, leaning across the table to see the picture. "Maybe it'll turn you into a Seer."

"What's this I hear about Rose being a Seer?"

James flopped down at the table and bent over to see what everyone was staring at.

"It's nothing," groaned Rose. "Everyone should just drop it."

Rolling his eyes, Albus changed the subject.

At the end of the meal, Lorcan stood and stretched.

"You remind me of a cat," said James enviously. "I cat about to take a nap."

"About to see Sibyl," corrected Lorcan. "Rose, let's be off."

"Why is Rose going?" she heard James ask as she left the table. She would leave Albus to explain that one.


	17. Chapter 17

Rose arrived at the Divination Tower to find Lorcan waiting for her.

"You could've gone up, you know," she told him as a ladder unfurled from the ceiling. It was rooted beside a trapdoor, which swung open as Rose spoke.

"I figured you might want to company," said Lorcan with a sweet smile. "First lesson can be pretty intimidating."

Professor Trelawney stuck her head out from within the trapdoor. "Come up, my beautiful children!" She cooed. "Lorcan, Rosaline, please."

Lorcan gestured for Rose to go first. She made sure that her bag was centered on her back before climbing up the wooden ladder.

The room was unlike what she had seen before - at the school, at least. It had the vague air of being decorated by Aunt Luna, but Rose knew that that was not the case. She could only imagine that the two had been close during Aunt Luna's Hogwarts days.

Instead of traditional desks and chairs, Professor Trelawney had arranged a selection of plush cushions that reminded Rose of Professor Evariste's room. The cushions surrounded low circular tables that bore various engravings. Upon closer inspection, Rose recognized symbols representing the zodiac.

"I want the Gemini table," said Rose without thinking.

Lorcan grinned mischievously at her. "Oh, do you now?"

Rose gave him a quizzical look, but before she could delve further into his comment, Professor Trelawney emerged from her back room.

"Ah," she said, closing her eyes, "so much positive energy in this space. Rosaline, you have such a pleasant aura, doesn't she Lorcan?"

Lorcan closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. "She smells like vanilla," he said seriously, "which is soothing. When I Saw her yesterday, she looked happy."

Professor Trelawney smiled and opened her eyes. "Very good," she said, her voice smooth and soothing. "Do you feel the current need to draw something? Are you feeling a prophecy nudging at your fingertips?"

He did not respond for moment. Finally, he opened his eyes and shook his head.

"Our, well," said Professor Trelawney, "we cannot live in the Beyond, or we would be nothing more than..." She trailed off, leaving her thought dangling.

"I brought the phoenix feather like Lorcan said," offered Rose, setting her bag on one of the low tables. "Let me see... got it."

Professor Trelawney's eyes widened; in their magnified state, they looked almost bug-like. Her fingers shook as she reached out to touch the feather, which Rose held by the base.

"They are rare and powerful magical creatures, phoenixes," said Professor Trelawney, stroking the feather. "Their feathers promote Sight…. This is how you knew of the dragon's attack on the girl, is it not?"

"Not really," said Rose slowly, trying to buy herself more time. "I... well... I just kind of knew."

"You have some gift of foresight, though, that much is evident. Now we must lure it out of the dark, dank hole it is hiding in..."

Lorcan nodded seriously, but winked at Rose. He knew that she had no powers as a Seer.

"Let us begin a lesson!" Said Professor Trelawney. "Rose, sit with Lorcan. He will guide you through our opening exercises.

* * *

Two hours later, Professor Trelawney leaned back against the wall with a sigh.

"Maybe I'm not a Seer," Rose offered hopefully. "I mean, I could have just gotten lucky."

Professor Trelawney exhaled sharply, her nostrils flaring. "You have the Sight," she said insistently, though she sounded a bit unsure. "We just need to bring it out of you."

"We could give her a Seer's pack," suggested Lorcan, patting the black satchel that lay beside him. "That way, she's always prepared. And she will need it."

The last part of his sentence fell flat. Professor Trelawney's face switched from disappointed to exhilarated before Rose could blink.

"You're having a premonition, aren't you, child?"

Lorcan blinked. "No I'm not," he said bluntly. "I don't See anything."

"But you spoke in a prophet's voice!" cried Professor Trelawney. "This is a large step for you, child. Dear, do you remember what you spoke?"

"I suggested giving Rose a Seer's pack," he said dutifully.

"But then you said she will need it!"

Rose thought that all the fuss was over nothing. Lorcan had simply stated his opinion - no more, no less. Nothing prophetic.

"Well, she will," said Lorcan. "Can we make her one?"

Professor Trelawney smiled at her favorite student. "Of course, dear boy, of course."

Rose ended up with a satchel full of unidentifiable objects. She recognized some from her limited readings on Divination - a crystal ball, smelling salts, tea leaves and a mug - but it was not a subject on which she had read much. On top of everything else went her phoenix feather, which Professor Trelawney insisted upon.

"You'll keep this pack with you whenever you can, it" she told Rose lightly. "For now, continue working on your own. Lorcan will alert you to any lessons."

Rose nearly dropped her bag as she clambered down the ladder leaving Professor Trelawney's room. Lorcan helped her, showing how the straps could be twisted so the bag could be on both shoulders instead of one.

"Thanks," she said.

"Where are you off to now?"

"Quidditch," groaned Rose. "I'm probably already late. At this rate, I'll be kicked off the team."

Lorcan popped a half smile. "A year ago, that would've been a blessing for you," he said. "What changed?"

Rose smiled, realizing the answer for the first time. "The Riders taught me not to fear falling. Now I can just... fly."

She was right about one part - she was dreadfully late. Cameron and his team were already in the middle of a mock game when Rose finally made it down to the pitch.

Louis was sitting in the stands, watching the game with visible envy. Once Rose approached him, she could see that his eyes were glazed over in memory.

"Hey," she said softly, not wanting to startle him.

"There you are!" he grinned. Tapping the broom that lay beside him, he said, "You're never going to get better if you never practice, Rose."

"I practice," she replied indignantly. "Just... not on time."

Louis laughed, shaking his head so his golden hair flew around in the wind. "Come on, I'll help you with your grip. I've seen it, and you need the help."

"I'll just pretend not to take offense to that." Louis' expert opinion was worth the jabs at her style.

"Come on, then."

They walked over to the far end of the field, beneath the golden hoops that served as goalposts.

"Now," said Louis, and "mount up. Let's fix these hands before Cameron switches you in."

Louis spent the next five minutes explaining proper handgrips to Rose, who tried to take it all in. Her brain was overflowing with new information, between the Divination lesson and this. Still, she paid attention to Louis' valuable advice.

"A little bit looser," he said, loosening Rose's grip slightly. "You're not trying to strangle it, remember?"

"I just don't want to fall," she reminded him. "You know, my fear of sliding off and all that?"

He adjusted the position of her wrists, bending them slightly. "Try it out like this. Go on, Cameron's probably furious by now."

"I'm telling him that I was with you," she retorted, pushing off before he could respond.

Rose approached Cameron warily, eyeing the thick bat in his hands. When he turned to her, she did her best to act casual.

"Louis fixed my grip," she said, showing it off. "Where do you want me?"

"Try to follow James around," he said. "If you can catch him, tell him it's time to sit out. I want to see his speed."

Nodding, Rose shot off to find her cousin. Chasing James was sure to be an adventure.

* * *

"I still cannot believe you didn't stop!" panted Rose as they walked back up to the castle. "Not once!"

James grinned cockily, fingering through his wind-struck hair. "Cameron warned me that you'd be on my tail," he said, "and I wasn't about to be sat out of practice, not so close to the next game."

Although Rose loathed admitting it, James was right. April was quickly approaching, and with it came the match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw.

"Rose, you're scratching yourself raw," Albus said suddenly, catching Roses arm.

She looked down and saw that he was right. She was covered in angry red circles around her wrists.

"Bloody hell!" exclaimed James. "Rose, what the hell did you do?"

"It's like an allergic reaction," explained Rose, pulling her sleeves down to cover the lumps. "Remember? From the hegolith?"

"I don't think that's from any old herbs," said James warily. "I think you should go see Madam Chang."

Rose groaned, but she also knew she had to do it. They altered their path to swing down the second floor corridor where the hospital wing was.

"I hate disturbing her so late," grumbled Rose as James knocked on the door to Madam Chang's office.

Madam Chang opened the door, looking weary. "Good evening," she said, suppressing a yawn. "What is the matter?"

Rose pulled up her sleeves to expose the affected areas.

"I don't understand," she told Madam Chang, who examined one wrist gingerly. "I wasn't in contact with any hegolith tonight."

"What about your Divination lesson?" said Albus. "Did you use any there?"

Rose thought back to the exercises with Lorcan. They melted into her time on the Quidditch field as her weary mind attempted to store too much information.

"I - well, I might have?" she said, remembering holding a handful of herbs during a scrying exercise. "I don't think so, though."

"This rash - these rashes - they match the ones you had before," said Madam Chang. "It is possible that you are allergic to something else, in addition to the hegolith."

Rose thought that was highly improbable. Still, she let Madam Chang apply the same lotion as before, which left her smelling vaguely of turnips.

It didn't even make sense. Unless she had forgotten spreading herbs around her wrists, the rashes couldn't possibly be from the Divination lesson. Thoughts like that frustrated her – ones without a ready answer.

Days passed, turning into weeks, and people began to forget about Rose saving Deasia. Riding lessons were put on hold as the Riders tried to decide what to do about the Race.

"They should just cancel the bloody thing already," said James over breakfast one day. "Hasn't it caused enough problems?"

Rose glared, but part of her agreed. She worried about Hagrid constantly, though her mother sent updates on his condition every week. There was no way to deny it: somehow, the domesticated dragons had become dangerous.

April began, bringing warmer weather and talks of Quidditch. The final match was rapidly approaching, and even Rose was starting to get nervous.

"Don't worry," Lysander reassured her, "you won't even have to play. We'll just sit in the stands and cheer Albus and James on."

His words only calmed her a bit. She had gotten a chance to play each position at least once during practice, but the only one she was really comfortable with was Chaser.

"I could always sit out," joked Albus over dinner the day before the game. "You could get all the glory of the winning points."

"That goes to the Seeker," said Rose, in no move to joke. She had a pile of homework waiting for her in the common room, but all she really wanted was her bed. "Speaking of which, where is our glorious one now?"

The doors leading into the Great Hall slammed open. In strode Filch, followed by none other than James.

"This is bad," said Lysander softly as Filch approached the head table. James, head hung low, scuffed his way over to her table.

"I'm dead," he said, his face white as he sat. "Dead. After this, my life is over."

"And here I sat thinking that James doesn't care about the repercussions of his actions," said Lysander thoughtfully. "I obviously stand corrected."

At the head table, Professor Evariste put hand over his face as Filch continued to talk to him.

"Start with the positive side," suggested Albus, obviously unconcerned with his brother's pain. "There's a good side to everything, right?"

James gulped. "Hagrid's back," he said weakly. "I decided to go down and see him using the map."

"Don't tell me Filch got the map," groaned Rose.

"Worse. I have the map... but he gave me detention. Tomorrow."

Rose's brain did not process the information as quickly as the others. She wondered why everyone turned to her, eyes wide and mouths agape. Then it fell into place.

"No," she said sharply, feeling like all the air had just been pushed out of her lungs. "James, tell me you're joking."

"I won't be joking, when Cameron finds out. He'll roast me to a crisp!"

"You have to tell him now," said Albus sharply. "He'll want to fly her tonight, cancel our night off."

"But -"

"But nothing. Do it."

There was a forceful directness in Albus' voice that Rose had never heard before. It would have bothered her another time, but now, she appreciated it.

Taking a deep breath, James rose again. Cameron sat at the end of the table closest to the head table with a group of older students. One of them touched his arm as James approach.

Rose watched as Cameron turned red, then white, then red again. He rose, towering over James, who looked around nervously.

But Cameron didn't say word. Instead, he approached Rose, Albus, and Lysander.

"Dinner is over," he said, voice strained. "We have some work to do. Rose, you have ten minutes to be in the air."

He nodded curtly, then moved down the table to where Dominique was sitting.

"I'm fine," said Rose when Lysander looked her, concern on his face. "I should - should go. Get ready."

"I'll watch her," she heard Albus mutter to Lysander as she stood. "You just eat. Write Hagrid for us?"

Lysander nodded. "Fly well."

Rose headed out of the Great Hall blindly, seeing only the steps she took to reach the Quidditch pitch. By the time she did, half the team was there.

Dominique patted Rose's shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry," she said softly. "We won't let this is go badly."

Cameron arrived last. His face was flushed, and he paced quickly before the group.

"Rose, you're not covering for James tomorrow," he said after a long pause.

Rose looked at Albus, shocked. What use was it for her to be a Reserve if –

Cameron answered her incomplete thought "Albus will play Seeker. Rose, you'll be covering him as a Chaser. Understood?"

Everyone nodded. Rose felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her chest. She could play Chaser - she had practiced enough to give it a go.

Albus had a determined look on his face as the team strode onto the pitch.

"Are you going to be all right?" asked Rose.

"Of course," replied Albus automatically. "I played Seeker at home. This will only be... bigger."

Cameron drilled the team for a bit before realizing they were all exhausted and useless in the dark.

"Get some sleep," he commanded as the team landed. "I expect you to all be in top form tomorrow morning. And breakfast is no longer an optional meal, you hear?"

The team murmured their assent groggily.

The next morning came all too soon. Rose was up half the night, her mind filled with memories of falling in flight. By the time light began to filter through her window, she was once again terrified to fly.

Albus notice the difference as soon as Rose appeared for breakfast.

"Oh, no you don't, "he groaned as she sat."You're not going to duck out on us now."

"I'm scared," she admitted quietly. "What if I'm not good enough? What if we lose because of me?"

"We won't lose," said Albus firmly. "You just work with the others, and I'll concentrate on catching the Snitch. That's all we really need anyway."

"Got it," she muttered, beginning to doze off. "Catch the Snitch. Win."

"She'll be fine," said Lysander, as Albus' face contorted with worry. "I'd suggest another Cheering Charm, but we've seen how dangerous that can be."

"I'm fine," said Rose, her voice a bit hollow. "Don't you start worrying too, Lysander."

"I'm not. Oh, and by the way, I sent both of your love to Hagrid last night."

"Thank you," said Albus gratefully. "I'm planning on visiting him right after the game. Rose, do you want to come?"

She grunted noncommittally. Of course she wanted to see Hagrid, but she also desperately needed some sleep.

Albus pulled her through the motions, filling a plate of food and pulling her to her feet when it was time to leave. He led her down to the Quidditch pitch, which she was only vaguely aware of.

"Time to change," Albus told her firmly. "Get into your Quidditch robes. They're right there, see?"

Getting changed, Rose pushed her hearing passed the chatter of the team. Outside, there was the sound of hundreds of feet dropping down to the stands, hundreds of voices talking about the game.

"It'll all be fine," said Albus as Rose plopped down onto a bench. "Come on, you know how great the team is. We have it all under control."

Cameron came over and rose a brow. "Finish getting changed," he ordered Rose. "We have no time to mope about."

Albus sighed as Cameron walked away. "James is lucky that Cameron's leaving, eh?" he said. "Otherwise, he'd be off the team for sure."

Rose pulled the robe the rest of the way on, feeling the numbness drain from her mind. It was replaced by a fiery determination; the strong will that so often led her.

"Don't worry," she told Albus, "we've got this."

Before she knew it, Cameron's pre-game speech was over and it was time to grab her broom. She handled James' Astro Piety , carefully; Cameron had refused to let her use the school broom.

Head held high, Albus strode onto the field next to Cameron, filling James' usual spot. The rest of the team followed, with Rose nestled safely in the center.

Madam Hooch stood on the field, waiting for the Ravenclaw team to finish their approach.

"A good, clean game." she snapped, looking over both teams. "None of that tomfoolery I saw last time, Bryant." Her glare was directed at the Ravenclaw captain, who looked away. "Now, on the count of three. One, two -" and her shrill whistle signaled the start of the game.

Rose pushed off and immediately shot high into the air. She had forgotten about the sheer power of the Astro, which wiped away the school brooms.

Cameron came next to her, his Beater's bat hanging casually in his hand. "Keep by the goalposts," he ordered, his eyes not leaving the pitch "their Keeper won't bother you, she's too shy. Watch out for -"

Then he swung the bat faster than Rose could see, sending a Bludger back across the field.

He was right about the Ravenclaw Keeper; she shot Rose a few nervous glances but said nothing. It was a perfect spot for Rose to watch the game.

The score was forty to twenty Gryffindor when Rose clenched her locket anxiously. Slowly but surely, it was heating up.

She shot straight up into the air, momentarily losing control of her broom. She searched the sky for Albus, whom she found across the field next to the Ravenclaw Seeker.

"Sorry to interrupt," said Rose quickly upon crossing the field (the two had been having a light conversation). "Albus, the locket."

His eyes widened. "Not now," he whispered. "Rose -"

"Can you just keep an eye out or something? I'm supposed to be by the hoops"

Sighing, Albus nodded. He shot into the air and began circling above the field.

Rose began flying back towards the score rings, but the locket tightened around her neck. Panicking, she looked around for help. As soon as she laid eyes on Cameron, the locket's chain relaxed.

Why did these things always happen to her at the worst of times?

"Cameron, you -"

"Why aren't you by the goalposts?" he said, not looking at her.

"You need to call for a break, it's -"

"What I need to do is knock Bryant from his broom. Now go!"

Grating her teeth, Rose returned to her station. She wanted to scream in frustration. How was she supposed to help when no one would listen?"

A ferocious roar cut through the air. All the players stopped what they were doing and looked around in confusion. An immense brown shape cut across the sky, scales reflecting the light of the sun. Amio roared once more, then reached his claws forward to grab the only thing as high as him.

Albus.

Student screamed, but Rose's ears were deaf to their fright. She saw Amio turn around, still high in the sky, and flap his magnificent wings until he disappeared.

Rose was the first to unfreeze. Without hesitation, she leaned all the way forward on her broom, shooting off towards where Amio had disappeared.

There was no logic behind her thoughts. Her only goal was to find Albus before the dragon turned him into mince meat.

And how had he gotten free, anyway? Rose had seen the dragon enclosures for herself, and they looked pretty sturdy. The Riders were diligent with their creatures, which would include being sure to lock them up when they were not flying.

She sped through the air, pushing the Astro Piety to its limits. She had just caught sight of Amio's chocolate wings when they disappeared beneath the cover of the trees of the Forbidden Forest.

Great.


	18. Chapter 18

**Sorry for the epically long wait! Life got in the way of my writing... but as a reward for your patience, I am posting the rest of the League of Dragon Riders. Right. Now. Tell me what you think, my loves!**

Rose circled the area she had seen Amio go down in. It was nearly impossible to find the brown dragon under the greenery. She was beginning to get frustrated when the sun glinted off of something down below.

It was a claw.

Rose shot down towards it, turning just before she hits the ground. She tumbled on her broom and almost fell into Amio's tail.

"Rose?"

It was Albus' voice, a sound that Rose was desperately glad to hear.

"I'm coming!" she cried, dodging Amio's swinging tail. "Just stay put!"

Breaking a path through the branches that attacked her face and hands, she circled around to Amio's front, then wished she hadn't.

"That is one angry dragon," she whispered.

Amio snarled, showing Rose a full set of sharp yellow teeth. No, they were really more like fangs. Rose much rather be faced with a vampire at that moment. At least they could be reasoned with or calmed.

Calmed. That was it!

"_Have you ever heard the saying, music sooths the savage beast?_"

Rose cursed herself for not having her set of pipes on her. The only solution left was to sing. She began the first song she could think of.

"_Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy-warty Hogwarts, teach us something please…._"

Her voice was shaking and unsure as the words to the school song came to her slowly. From somewhere behind the dragon came another voice – Albus' mixed with Rose's as they joined together in a tune they both learned while young.

"_Whether we be old and bald_," they continued, "_or young with scabby knees_."

The effect on Amio was slow but undeniable. His eyelids began to flicker until they shut completely. By the time the song had been completed a second time, he was fully relaxed.

Rose paused, then called, "Albus? Where are you?"

She heard a groan. "I'm stuck, I think," he applied, his voice muffled. "Can you come around?"

Humming and hoping it would be enough to keep Amio subdued, Rose clambered over one of his paws to find Albus encapsulated in another.

"I can't squeeze out," said Albus. The part of his face Rose could see was dirty and spotted with what looked like blood. "Can you move his toes at all?"

Rose tugged on one and managed to increase the opening of it.

"That's all I can do," she said, returning to Albus. "Can you try again?"

If it had been any boy larger than Albus, it wouldn't have worked. But Albus, always slight, slid between the toes and tumbled onto the ground. He was covered in dirt and grime and what was most certainly blood.

Rose rushed to help him to his feet. "Are you okay?" she asked as he stumbled forward.

He managed to muster up a smile. "I must look pretty awful. How's the game?"

She would have gone to playfully smack his arm if it had not been bleeding everywhere. She once again regretted not having her bag - there was sure to be bandages in there somewhere.

"Come on, we have to get you to the hospital wing."

But Albus shook his head. "We have to go finish the game or we forfeit," he said.

"But -"

"Rose, you have to know I'm right about this." He gave her a grave look. "Cameron is relying on us."

"But your arm!" she objected.

But Albus was already following Rose's tracks back to the broom. He picked it up and raised a brow at Rose.

"You coming? I wouldn't want to be here when he wakes up."

Sighing, Rose mounted the broom behind Albus. "It's your arm," she muttered.

Laughing, he ignored her and kicked off.

The flight back to the Quidditch pitch took no time at all. Before Rose knew what was happening, they were being summoned down to the ground by Cameron, who was literally jumping for joy.

"I know you to bring him back!" he cried as they landed. The crowd was roaring, making it difficult to hear him. "We were about to forfeit so we could go look for you two!"

"Don't even think about it," said Albus coolly, sounding much like his brother. "We're back and ready to go."

Rose kept her mouth shut, though she longed to berate Albus about getting his arm checked out. Was Cameron really going to let him back up in the air after what had happened?

He did. Rose stood on the side of the field, for she had given Albus James's broom as his own had been snapped by Amio. So Rose watched Albus go back into the air and all she could do was hope he didn't drip blood on people.

It was over before a minute had passed. Albus leaned over the edge of the broom, executing a perfect flip. When he was upright once more, he had the Golden Snitch in his hand.

It turned out that Rose didn't have to force Albus the hospital wing. He landed, took one step, and collapsed.

"Hospital wing," ordered a grinning Cameron. "He'll be suffering from blood loss right about now. Rose, go up with him?"

She thought it was incredibly rude of him to be so nonchalant about what had happened, but Professor Evariste appeared, taking away her chance to complain.

"I'll get him," he told her sternly. "Lysander, you make sure Rose doesn't collapse on us now."

"I'm fine," insisted Rose as Lysander tried to grab her arm. "Really, I didn't get hurt. I'm just worried about Albus."

"He'll be all right," said Lysander reassuringly. "Come on, we'll go with Professor Evariste and pay Madam Chang a visit."

As she passed through the doors of the school, it occurred to Rose that she spent too much time in the hospital wing.

She and Lysander led the way, holding doors open as Professor Evariste floated Albus through them. He did his best to not bump or bang Albus' body, which dripped the occasional spot of blood on the marble.

Madam Chang gasped upon seeing Albus. "Oh my!" she said, one hand fluttering over her mouth. "What happened to the boy?"

Rose sat on and unoccupied bed as Albus was placed on another. She finally allowed herself to close her eyes and process what had just occurred. Realizing what she had done, she began to shake.

"It's okay, Rose," said Lysander, sitting beside her. "You did a very good thing today. A very good thing."

"It was scary," she admitted, her eyes still closed. "Why can't life ever just be normal?"

When she opened her eyes, she saw that Lysander had a far-off, thoughtful look on his face.

"Do you need to be examined as well?" asked Professor Evariste as Madam Chang attended to Albus. "You look pretty frightened."

"I sang to him," said Rose slowly, still processing. "Amio, I mean. I remembered what you taught us, and it worked. That's how I could get to Albus."

Professor Evariste smiled slightly. "It does a professor good to know that his lessons are not in vain," he said. "Consider that your practical exam."

A few minutes later, Marco clambered through the main doors. He rested most of his weight on his cane and was breathing heavily.

"Is the boy alright?" he asked hurriedly. "Rose, you're here!"

"He will be fine after I finish cleaning out his arm," said Madam Chang, not looking up from her work.

"I just found out what happened," said Marco, coming to stand by Rose's bed. "I was not with the others when Amio broke free."

"It's alright," said Rose automatically. "Did you catch him?"

"Giovanni and Maria are scanning him from the air right now." Lowering his voice, he added, "We'll most likely be leaving after this."

"You're canceling the Race?" said Rose, but she was in no way surprised. There had been far too many dragon related accidents to continue on with the Race. Still, it would be sad to see the Riders leave.

Marco nodded gravely. "We have to, at this point. Your headmistress may very well ask us to leave now. I wouldn't blame her."

Professor McGonagall appeared while Madam Chang was bandaging Albus' arm. She looked flustered; some of her hair had been windblown out of her normal tight bun.

"Miss Weasley," she huffed, obviously disgruntled, "would you like to explain why you thought that pursuing a dragon on broomstick was a good idea?"

"I - I didn't really think before I did it, Professor," said Rose, looking into Professor McGonagall's cloudy green eyes. "I just had to get to Albus."

Professor McGonagall sighed and shook her head. "Will Mister Potter be alright, Madam Chang?" she asked. "We have a Healer at St. Mungo's standing by with a room."

"No, he's healing up quite nicely here," said Madam Chang. "Besides an assortment of scratches, he only received one deep wound to the arm."

Nodding curtly, the headmistress turned Marco, who had sat and was holding his head in his hands.

"I have a meeting scheduled with your fellow Riders for directly after lunch. You are more than welcome to attend."

Marco nodded mutely. Rose felt bad for him, for all the Riders. They had brought their lives' works to Hogwarts, and now it was all falling to pieces.

Professor McGonagall turned back to Rose. "I assume you will be remaining with Mister Potter?"

"I'll bring him back to the common room when he wakes up," she promised.

A loud bang came from outside the door. Everyone turned and stared as James waltzed in, sticking his wand in his pocket.

"How's Al doing?" he asked, coming to his brother's bedside. "I just got out of Randor's office. He made me take lines, the git. Did Al really ride a dragon to catch the Snitch?"

Rose stared at him incredulously. Professor McGonagall coughed pointedly.

"Oh, sorry Professor," said James, only then noticing his headmistress." So how's he doing?"

"Your brother is recovering well," said Professor McGonagall curtly. "What was that commotion in the corridor?"

James smiled mischievously. "Ah, just a bit of unfinished business. Great game, eh? I could see it through the window and Randor's room. That ending was bloody brilliant! Rose, your timing could not have been better."

Suspicious, Rose looked to the open door. At the very bottom, she caught sight of a white blonde snatch of hair.

"James Sirius Potter!" she cried, popping off of the bed. "You did not!"

Opening the door all the way, Rose revealed Scorpius, frozen and flat on his back.

"Scorpius," she said quietly, and kneeling by his side. "Can you hear me?"

Professor McGonagall came to stand by Roses side. "Did - Mister Potter -" Stopping her sentence with a huff, she flicked her wand at Scorpius' rigid body. He jerked sharply, then sat up, whipping his head around.

"It's okay, Scorpius," said Rose gently. "It was just James up to his old tricks. Are you all right?"

"Into the hospital wing, regardless," ordered Professor McGonagall before Scorpius could respond. "And Mister Potter, to my office. Now!"

Rose had not noticed James lurking inside just inside the door. Shrugging, he gave Scorpius a dirty look before following Professor McGonagall's sharp steps down the hall.

"She's right," said Rose, "you should go lie down for a bit. You look awful."

"Thanks," grunted Scorpius.

"What happened?"

"He came out of nowhere. I told him I didn't want to start a row, and next thing I knew, I was flat on my back."

Rose was saddened to realize that Scorpius looked ashamed. "You did the right thing, you know," she said as they reentered the hospital wing. "Not fighting with James, I mean."

Scorpius shrugged again. "Sure. Keep your head down, don't pick fights. That's me."

Albus was awake and looking serious by the time they reached him.

"James did what?"

They recounted the story as Madam Chang checked Scorpius over. Since he checked out fine, they were cleared to leave. Albus, on the other hand, was informed that he had to stay.

"But the party!" he groaned. "After that game, there's sure to be a party."

"There will be other parties," said Madam Chang firmly. "Get some rest, now."

As soon as she returned to her office, Albus swung his legs off the bed.

"Albus, where do you think you're going?" asked Rose, alarmed.

"The party, of course! C'mon."

He ignored all of Rose's protestations and strode from the room, swinging his arms as proof that they were intact. After a moment, Rose followed with Scorpius.

"You boys," she sighed, shaking her head at Scorpius grinned. "If you pass out again, I am not responsible."

"I won't pass out" said Albus. "I'm as good as new. Better, really."

Reached the staircase, Scorpius said, "And this is where I leave you." He executed a mocking bow. "I must return to the dungeons."

"Ah, land of the noble and mighty Slytherins." said Albus. "Have fun watching them mock me."

"Only if you enjoy watching James reenact our anti-duel."

Both boys laughed as Rose sighed. The two of them were completely ridiculous.

She had a lot to think about on her way back to Gryffindor Tower. What would happen to the dragons after they left Hogwarts? And what about the Riders? Marco had been so devastated...

"Where did Marco go?" she asked Albus, realizing she had never seen his exit.

"Marco was there?" It seems like news to him.

"Never mind..."

The common room was already riotous when the two returned. There was an uproar when Albus slid through the portrait hole. Rose soon saw him atop the shoulders of two seventh years, looking like a newly-crowned prince.

She screeched - hands grabbed her and forced her into the air as well. She looks for Albus to help, but he only laughed.

"Put me down!" she cried, but the roar of the partying students was deafening. If anyone had heard her, they pretended otherwise.

When she was finally sent back down, Rose stumbled forward, catching herself on the wall. Before anyone else could lift her, she planted herself firmly in a chair, which she intended to remain in for the rest of the day.

The room quieted as someone called for Albus to recount the dragon story. He looked to Rose, but she gestured for him to continue. It was his moment of glory, not hers.

He remained with the truth, which needed no alterations to make it a thrilling tale. Rose only realized what a fantastic story it made while listening to Albus explain how Amio had snatched him out of the air, snapping his broom and nearly crushing him.

"But all the credit really goes to Rose," he insisted at the end. "If she hadn't followed, I'd be a goner."

Rose's face flushed as everyone turned to examine her. She willed them to look away, and cursed herself for not knowing any sort of invisibility charm.

"And it was one bloody marvelous game!" cried Cameron, effectively taking Rose out of the spotlight. She relaxed back into the chair, glad to have the attention off of her.

Sometime over the following hour, James returned with a basket of food. He tossed it into the swarm of people who reached for it. Meeting Roses eyes, he tapped his pocket, where the corner of a piece of parchment was barely visible.

Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs had served them well again. Rose was happy that James had not gotten the map taken away – it could prove useful in the future. Still, she was furious that he had attacked Scorpius with absolutely no provocation. How long would this feud last?

Louis plopped down next to Rose as James disappeared into the mass of people. His eyes were glazed over, and he sighed deeply, letting his entire chest deflate with the action.

"You look like a wreck," said Rose honestly. "What's the matter?"

Louis combed through his hair absently. "Nothing," he said, speaking slowly and carefully. "Just stressed. Good job, getting Baby Al and all."

She wouldn't let him distract her so easily. "Stress? With what?"

"School. Schoolwork. My OWLs are coming up."

The Ordinary Wizarding Levels had most of the fifth years in the same state as Louis, Rose had noticed. They were a breeze compared to the NEWTs, or it the Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests, which students took their seventh year.

"I'll brew up something to perk you right up," said Rose, thinking through her beginners' potions book. "How about an Energizing Elixir? Would a bit more energy help?"

Nodding slowly, Louis looked like he was trying to smile, but his mouth would not make the motion.

"I'll brew one up for you tomorrow," she said. It was Saturday, so she would have no classes to worry about the next day. "You should go to bed early tonight, get some rest."

The smile finally appeared. "I'm meeting Arianna to study, actually," he said. He had been going with Arianna Clearwater since meeting her the previous year. "She's determined to get my mind in shape for these tests."

"So you'll need the potion," replied Rose. "Just don't take too much at once or you won't be able to sleep."

Stretching, Louis said, "Thank you, Rosie. I'm off for now to get some of that food James nicked. You want any?"

Rose shook her head, frowning at the thought of James stealing from the kitchens. "No, thank you," she said absently, trying to remember what her mother had told her about the work of the house elves in the kitchens.

The day wore into the night. Rose eventually tuned out the partying and began studying for her Charms final. They had just gone over Freezing Charms, with the main target being the Adarna Professor Evariste had released upon the school.

The next day, Rose let herself sleep in for an extra hour before rising to examine her Potions textbook. The page she was looking for was already bookmarked as a potion she wanted to try.

The ingredient list, however, posed a challenge. It required a scoop of black beetle eyes, was Rose had just run out of. Rose considered going to Slughorn's office briefly, but then she remembered the first day of classes, which she had been out with Scorpius.

Closing the book, she set Mina on the bed and headed out of the dormitory. The common room was quiet, but it was still relatively early.

Rose made her way towards Professor Evariste's office, then made a sharp left. It was time to visit Enchanting Enhancements.

The room was radically different than last time Rose had been in there. Fabric was hanging from the ceiling, blocking out the natural light. Candles floated near the ceiling, reminding Rose of the Great Hall.

Mindel was standing by the entrance. "Welcome to Enchanting Enhancements," she said automatically. "I am - Rose!"

"Hello, Mindel." said Rose, smiling at the bubbly girl. "I was wondering if you had any black beetle eyes. I need them for a potion."

"You have to go and visit Riss," said Mindel with a sparkling clear grin. She gestured to where the toilet stalls once stood openly. It was now curtained section under a sign reading Potions.

Rose approached it with caution, remembering the unfriendly Riss from her initial visit. She pulled back the curtains and stepped into a separate candlelit section nervously.

"Hello, Rose," said a voice from the shadows. "I knew you'd be back."

"Hello, Riss," said Rose to the room, still unable to see where Riss stood. "Do you have black beetle eyes for sale?"

A hand appeared from the darkness and held up one finger. "Hush. Listen, there he is now."

Rose heard a familiar voice from beyond the curtains. Curious, she drew one back a tad and peeked out.

Louis strolled up to the main counter, which stood where the sinks used to be. He dropped a velvet bag on the table and nudged it towards Deasia with his wand.

"Good morning, Mister Weasley," said Deasia pleasantly. "Might assume I am getting you your usual selection?"

"Please," said Louis. He was running through his hair again.

Deasia began humming as she looked through an assortment of jars and tins. "Ah," she said, opening a jar, "here we are."

Using her hands, she began to scoop the contents of the jar into an empty velvet bag. Once the bag was full, she pulled the drawstring closed and placed it in front of Louis.

"Do I need to go over the limitations and risks with you once more?" she asked playfully.

"Nah, I'm good," said Louis. "Thanks. Gotta run, seeing Arianna."

"Tell her I say hello!" said Deasia with a sweet smile.

Louis, the full bag in his pocket, waved at one of the other girls and left.

"I didn't know he was a customer here," said Rose, turning. Riss was leaning against one of the stall doors, holding a small silk bag.

"You wouldn't expect to see most people here," said Riss darkly, "yet here we are. I have your beetle eyes."

"Thanks," said Rose, a bit unnerved. "How much do I owe you?"

"Not a knut," said Riss. "You'll be back, and we'll settle our debt then."

Her words worried Rose, but for some reason, she felt reassured. She took the bag with a nod.

"Now go," said Riss with a thin smile. "Mindel will see you out. Enjoy."

Mindel was waiting just beyond the curtains. "I hope you found everything you needed?"

"Yes," said Rose, "I did, do you -"

"Rose!" cried Deasia of from behind the counter. "Oh, Rose, I haven't seen you in ages! Come over here!"

Rose approached the counter. "Hi," she said, suddenly shy. "How are you?"

Deasia grinned. "Alive, thanks to you. Oh, Rose, I never really got to thank you!" She clasped Rose's hands in her own. "The dragon -"

"It was nothing," insisted Rose, "really. I'm just glad that you are alright."

"Let the girl go!" called Riss from behind the curtain.

Deasia released Rose his hands, looking shamefaced. "Of course, you probably have to go. Tell me if you hear anything about the Riders, okay?"

"I will," promised Rose. "Thank you, Mindel."

Rose thought about Louis on the way back to the common room. What could he have purchased from Enchanting Enhancements? It appeared that he was a regular customer... but perhaps he was getting supplies to practice for his Potions OWL. In that case, Rose continued to reason with herself, he would have been in the Potions section with her.

Thinking was beginning to make Roses head ache. When she reached the common room, hoping to find more answers, Lysander told her that he had not seen Louis.

"I'll be upstairs," she huffed, going back her dormitory. Only Tia had roused since Rose had left. She was now aimlessly flipping through her Charms book.

"Studying?" asked Rose. "Finals are coming sooner than you know."

"More like browsing," responded Tia. "Why were you up so early?"

"Getting some more beetle eyes," said Rose as she stashed the bag and potions kit. She would make the potion for Louis after she got some answers.


	19. Chapter 19

The chance to talk with Louis came a week later.

"Rose!"

Rose turned, startled. She had been on her way down to see how the Riders were doing. There had been no word from Marco on how the meeting with Professor McGonagall had gone, and she figured she had given it enough time.

Louis waved, his other arm snared around Arianna Clearwater's waist. They both jogged down the gentle hill to meet her.

"Hey, Rose," he said with a grin. "You remember Arianna, right?"

"Of course," said Rose. "What are the two of you up to?"

"We wanted to see the dragons before they left," said Louis. "Word is, they're out of here before finals."

That saddened Rose greatly. "Well, you're in luck," she said, forcing a smile. "I'm going back to see if I could visit too. Want to come?"

"May we?" asked Arianna brightly. "I've always wanted to see one in person, and this may be my last chance for years."

"I don't think they'll mind," said Rose. "Just… if I say to move, then move, okay?"

Arianna nodded enthusiastically. "I heard about what you did with Deasia," she said. "She's such a sweetheart, isn't she?"

"She is," agreed Rose, examining Louis' face. "Louis, have you ever met her?"

"A few times," he said casually. "Come on, Ari, let's go see your dragons."

Lucky for all of them, Marco sat by a fire near the edge of the forest. He was blowing another glass dragon, forming the tiny legs with his nimble fingers.

"Don't startle him," whispered Rose, watching Marco work with a small smile.

"It's so beautiful," murmured Arianna, transfixed. "Does he always makes them?"

"Yes," replied Marco loudly, startling Rose. "I find it relaxing. Rose, friends, if you will give me a moment, we will be able to talk."

Rose, Louis, and Arianna sat on an abandoned log and watched Marco work. It was a beautiful process that Rose marveled at, remembering her dismal attempts at blowing a simple globe.

Finally, Marco drew his hands from the flames and set the dragon beside him. Using a dirty rag, he wiped the sweat from his face, then turned to the students.

"Hello, Rose," he said warmly. "I was starting to think that you have forgotten about me out here."

"I didn't know if I should come or not," she admitted. "Marco, what's going to happen with everything? With your dragons, with the Riders in general?"

Marco sighs deeply. "It has gotten... complicated," he said gravely. "You're headmistress has been most kind, but this is outside of her jurisdiction. The matter is going to your Ministry."

"What are they going to do about it?" asked Rose worriedly. "I mean, they allowed you to come in the first place. And Kingsley will see reason."

But Marco did not look hopeful. "It is quickly becoming an international matter. If they try to take the dragons away -"

"They can't!" exclaimed Rose.

"If they do," continued Marco, "our Ministry will fight for us. We don't want a war on our hands, not between our Ministries."

"International Code Number 31," quipped Arianna. "Ministries are not to interfere with another's treatment of magical creatures."

"Unless they are causing regular harm to witches and wizards," corrected Marco, "which they are. We are lucky that young Albus is still alive."

"So... are you all just leaving, then?" asked Rose. She hated the fact that Riders were such position because of the dragons. The danger was real, but she had come to love riding Contessa.

"We don't know yet. We may just have to disappear."

"Can I - could I go and say goodbye to Contessa?" said Rose quietly. "In case you have to vanish?"

Marco pursed his lips in thought. "You are the one who knows the attacks as they come," he said tentatively. "I suppose it would be safe. Will your friends be coming along?"

Arianna looked at Rose beseechingly.

"Yes," said Rose, "as long as it is okay with you."

As they were picking up their bags, Tobias Krimp ran down the hill to meet them. His eyes were wide and excited.

"I saw you from up in the Castle," he panted. "Are you leaving? So soon?"

"Not yet," said Marco, "but possibly soon. Would you like to come along? Rose is going to say goodbye to Contessa."

"I'd like to say goodbye to Vido, if I could," said Tobias.

"Let's be off."

As they were walking through woods, Tobias introduced himself to Louis and Arianna. He shook hands with a friendly smile and began to talk to Arianna about the history of dragons.

"You are both quite knowledgeable," remarked Marco. "Tobias, by being part of the Race, you have secured your own place in dragonic history. And you as well, Rose."

"Even though it was canceled?" said Rose, surprised.

"This is the first school we have tried this program is," explained Marko. "Even though it has... has failed, it will have a place in history."

Rose was reminded of the Triwizard Tournament suddenly. What had Uncle Harry said? - eternal glory? But Rose did not want eternal glory. She didn't want eternal anything.

Marco had them wait at the edge of the dragon enclosure as he entered. Giovanni was petting Vido, who looked like he was sleeping.

Marco and Giovanni exchanged a few words in Italian. Giovanni looked nervous, but Marco was reassuring him. Finally, Giovanni waved the four students in.

"Rose," he Giovanni gravely. "Tobias. I'm sorry about the Race, but after all the work you both have done, it would have been quite the competition indeed."

Tobias grinned. "Don't be sorry," he said. "I had a brilliant time. I mean, who goes to school expecting to ride a dragon?"

"I agree," said Rose. "It's been amazing, honestly."

Louis approached Isla, who sniffed his hair. He offered up his hands, which she licked eagerly.

"Please be careful," said Giovanni wearily. "If anyone else gets hurt -"

"He'll be fine," murmured Rose as Arianna joined Louis. "Don't worry too much."

Giovanni looked at Rose with interest. "That is right. You are the insightful one."

"Please don't ask me to explain," said Rose quietly.

"I wouldn't dare. Your insight is a blessing and a curse, I am sure."

It was a pretty apt description of what Rose was going through.

Giovanni led Rose over to where Contessa was tethered to an enormous tree. She wore what appeared to be a muzzle.

"It's so she can't breathe fire or bite," explained Giovanni as Rose reached up to touch it. "They're… new to us. Maria is still opposed to their use… strongly opposed. But alas, we have no other option."

Rose ran her hand down Contessa's smooth scales. They sparkled a bright crimson in the shards of light appeared through the trees. The dragon closed her eyes, and Rose hoped she was feeling content. To be confined to the ground instead of free to roam the skies…it must have been terrible.

After a few minutes, Giovanni lay a hand on Rose's shoulder. "We'll walk you out of the forest," he said sadly. "It is growing late."

She knew he was right. It was time to say goodbye to the dragons, possibly for good.

"I'll miss you," she murmured to Contessa, meeting the creature's intense eyes. "Thank you for everything."

Vido eagerly licked Tobias his hands, much how Isla had licked Louis'. Tobias patted Vido's muzzle, then walked away.

"They're so beautiful," gushed Arianna as they walked back towards the Castle. "I'm so glad I got to see them. Thank you for bringing us, Rose."

She nodded. It was sort of a bittersweet feeling, to be leaving the dragons; to know that it be the last time she would see Contessa, but if it would save the Riders, then it was for the best.

"I'll be up in a minute," she told Louis at the edge of the forest. "You bring Arianna up and on I'll meet you in the common room."

Tobias turned and waved as he walked away next to Louis. Rose waved back with a smile.

Hagrid sat on the steps in front of his hut. It was the first time that Rose had seen him since his return. She, Albus, and James had gone down the day after the Quidditch match, but Madam Chang had answered the door and sent them away, saying that Hagrid needed more rest before he could have any visitors.

"Rosie!" Hagrid cried, a wide smile spreading across his partially-bandaged face.

"I was beginning to think Madam Chang would never let us see you," she admitted. "Albus and James tried as well, but she kept sending us away."

"Ah, she means well," said Hagrid. "Bin helpin' me a great deal. How have yeh been?"

"Worried nearly ill about you. How are you, anyway?"

"I had the finest Healers in the world workin' on me," Hagrid told her, "so I'm jus' a bit sore. But Rosie, it's gettin' dark out! Yeh should be getting' to bed."

Of course, Hagrid would be worrying about her when he was the one who had been mauled by a dragon. Rose wondered if it had affected his obsession with them, but decided that now was not the appropriate time to ask. Instead, she big Hagrid to have a good night and went off to Gryffindor Tower.

She knew something was wrong the moment the portrait hole swung open. There was screaming coming from inside, screams of a familiar voice. Rose clambered through the hole, ending up in a heap on the floor.

Dominique stood in the center of the room, clutching a limp velvet bag that Rose recognized immediately. Louis stood across from his sister, arms crossed defiantly. The rest of the common room stood in shocked silence as Dominique screeched.

"You are disgracing our _family_, our entire _line_! Do you have any _idea_ what Mum and Dad are going to _do_ when they find out?"

"They're not going to find out, because I've stopped," said Louis. "I know that, you know that, the entire room knows that now, thanks to you."

"Do not _lie_ to me, Louis!" continued Dominique, not lowering her voice. "I could _smell_ it on your _hands_ when you entered the _room_. You were _there _getting your _fix_ and I am _tired of it_!"

"You're acting like it's a drug," said Louis, "and it's not. It's an herb that I used to calm myself down. Stress due to the OWLs and all."

Cameron entered the circle and lay a hand on Dominique's shoulder. "Dominique, let's just -"

"Do not tell me what to do when it comes to my family, Cameron Thornton," hissed Dominique furiously. "That is my _brother_. He is _my_ responsibility."

Louis caught sight of Rose, still sitting in front of the portrait hole.

"Rose!" he exclaimed. "Where the devil have you been?" Before she could answer, he continued." Could you please tell Dominique that I was with you all night?"

"He was," said Rose when Dominique looked her. "We went to say goodbye to Contessa."

"Who?"

"The dragons," explained Rose, remembering how most people had never attended the lessons. "He and Arianna came down with me so I could say goodbye."

"Dominique, please," said Cameron softly. "Come talk to me for a few minutes -"

But instead, Dominique stepped around Rose, slid into the portrait hole, and was gone.

Albus skirted around the dissolving circle as Rose stood. Reaching her side, he said, "Up to James and Lysander's dormitory?"

"Yes."

As they climbed the stairs, Rose's temper group.

"I mean, the _nerve_ of Dominique, to explode like that in front of everyone! Honestly, you'd think she and Victoire were completely unrelated. And -"

"You weren't there for all of it, Rose," said Albus, stopping her. "There's a reason we need to talk."

Lysander was on his bed, flipping through the end of his Transfiguration textbook.

"I came up as soon as the yelling started. Seeing how Rose is here, I assume it didn't end well."

James entered the room before Rose and Albus could respond. He grinned widely.

"Great row, eh? Shame that Louis got the brunt of it."

"He was with me the whole time," said Rose, "but I don't understand. What set Dominique off in the first place?"

James snorted. "That cat of yours, actually."

"Mina came down from his dormitory with that bag," explained Albus. "Louis entered, and Dominique took one whiff of him and freaked out."

"That's when I left," said Lysander. "She started screaming about giving him chances and having him waste them - it was awful, really."

Rose was like Lysander in the way that she did not like escalated arguments. She would have gone straight up to her room and settled in with some studying, as he had done.

"Rose, Dominique mentioned what herb - Louis called it an herbal enhancer - Louis was taking at one point," said Albus gravely. "Hegolith."

The pieces immediately clicked into place in Rose's mind. It was the missing piece of the puzzle, the piece Rose had not been able to find on her own.

Louis, sitting glazed-eyed and alone. Louis, adjusting her grip right before she got a rash. Louis, Louis, Louis.

"It all makes so much sense," she murmured to herself.

"What does?" asked Lysander.

The door opened and Liam O'Grady entered. He gave Rose a questioning look before sitting on his bed.

"Tomorrow," promised Rose. "Albus, we should probably leave."

They said their goodbyes and returned to the common room. Louis sat alone, flipping through the Daily Prophet. Rose considered joining him, but a large yawn stopped her. She deserved a good night's sleep after the day she had head.

However restful her night was, there was no preparing for what came the next morning.

"Rose, you're going to take me to Enchanting Enhancements."

Rose nearly choked on her pumpkin juice. It was breakfast, and Dominique had just appeared behind her.

"What?" she coughed.

"You heard me. After dinner, we're going to pay Enchanting Enhancements a visit."

Rose's mind spun, trying to decide how to proceed. Finding it difficult to properly articulate her confusion, she once again said, "What?"

"I need to speak to someone there about my brother," explained Dominique. "A little birdie told me that you knew where to find the people I need."

Stealing a moment to ponder the matter, Rose took another bite of her toast. Chewing, she decided honesty was the best course of action.

"I really don't want to get involved," she said. "I mean, this is between you and Louis."

"Unless you want Louis to end up in front of the headmistress," said Dominique sharply, "you will help me. Tonight."

She stalked off angrily, her strawberry blond hair flying out behind her.

"I would do it," said Albus as Rose looked to him. "If I were you, I'd want answers of my own."

Rose wondered what had happened to Dominique. She had grown up a lot over the course of the year, that much was obvious. Rose remembered her first train ride Hogwarts, when Dominique and Louis were throwing Bertie Botts Beans at each other. Now it was a screaming match in the common room.

"I suppose I'll go, then," said Rose, still feeling unsure about it. But really, what was the worst that could happen?

She went through her day, growing more nervous by the hour. When Professor Randor called on her in Transfiguration, she had to admit that she didn't know what they were discussing.

"How unlike you," he wheezed, peering over his spectacles at her. "You'd better see Madam Chang. Go on, do not dawdle."

She took the opportunity to leave class early, unsure of how much more she could take before her nerves got the better of her. Instead of going to the hospital wing, however, Rose made her way up to the seventh floor.

"Barmy Uncle Bilius," she said to the Fat Lady.

"Very well, then. In you go!"

Mina was the common room's solo occupant. Rose had expected some of the older students, perhaps even Louis himself.

"It'll all work out," she murmured to Mina, leaning down to pet her. "Don't you fret. It'll work out..."

Only Rose's hunger drew her out of the safety of her dormitory. Albus was already at the Gryffindor table, looking worried.

"Where _were_ you?" he said. "I looked for you in the hospital wing, and you weren't in the common room."

"I was studying in my room," said Rose stiffly. "What's for dinner?"

But when the food appeared, Roses hunger turned into a type of nervous nausea. She pushed her empty plate away.

"Not eating?" said James, filling his plate.

"Not hungry," murmured Rose, pouring herself a glass of water.

Lysander gave her a questioning look, but said nothing. Rose noticed him watching her throughout the meal, especially when Dominique came over and gave her an expectant glance.

"I'll meet you back at the common room," said Rose, standing. Lysander shot her another look, which she pretended not to see.

Dominique wore fiercely determined expression and remained silent as Rose let her out of the great Hall. Once they reached the main staircase, however, she stopped Rose.

"I'm sorry for what I said to you before," she said, her expression softening. "It's just - I'm worried about my brother. He's a good kid, but right now he's a bit... misguided."

"I just thought he was stressing over his OWLs," said Rose honestly. "I never dreamed she was using any..." She trailed off, unsure what hegolith was referred to as.

Dominique sighed. "It's not a drug," she said. "It's allegedly a harmless herbal relaxer. I've heard of a lot of older students using it occasionally, but Louis is addicted to it. He's in that state every day now."

"But I thought he said that he stopped," said Rose.

"Of course he said that. But he came over and clapped me on the shoulder, and his hands just _reeked_."

"But I was with him all night," objected Rose, then realized that wasn't quite true. She had been with Louis ever since he and Arianna ran into her, and then up until she stopped to talk with Hagrid. There was plenty of time for him to stop and get his - what have Dominique called it? - his fix.

Dominique looked surprised when Rose led her to the second floor bathroom.

"Moaning Myrtle's room?" she said, her brows raised. "How very clever. And Myrtle doesn't cause problems?"

"I guess not," said Rose, thinking back to when she asked the very same question. "Well, then. This is it."

A small tinkling bell sounded when Rose opened the door. Before the door could swing closed, Deasia appeared beside them.

"Good evening, Rose!" she said cheerfully. "So good to see you back again. And if I'm not mistaken, it's Dominique, correct?"

"Yes," said Dominique warily. "How do you -"

"Oh, I follow Quidditch," said Deasia lightly. "I'm an avid fan. What can I do for you today?"

"I'm about someone else, actually. My brother Louis."

Deasia's perky expression darkened. "Yes, I heard about the confrontation last night. News travels fast."

Rose ambled around the room as Dominique talks with Deasia. There was only one other girl there, and she remained behind the main counter. Hearing voices, Rose changed her course and approached the Potions section.

"She looks _dreadful_," drawled an unfamiliar voice. "They took her straight to St. Mungo's, they did. Their whole lot went with her."

"I _knew_ this was going to happen!"

The response was in Riss' clear tone. When the next words came, they were from Mindel.

"How could we have known that everything would go terribly wrong? That he would use it on the dragons?"

"We cannot stop it now," said Riss, "not with everything that has happened."

"But who would want to stop all this fun?" asked whom Rose assumed to be Moaning Myrtle. "It's simply _dreadful_, isn't it? Imagine if the Rider woman _dies_. Wouldn't it should be perfectly _awful_?"

"Nobody's going to die," said Mindel, but she sounded uncertain. "They'll take care of her at St. Mungo's, just like Hagrid."

"Oh, that was a nasty one," cooed Myrtle. "I followed him and took to haunting his room for a bit. They thought _he_ was going to die too."

"This ends now," said Mindel, her clear voice shaking. "We're not selling any more hegolith. We'll tell the pickers in the morning. I'm done."

"Wise decision," said Riss. "I refuse to be a proponent of violence."

Riss was full of surprises. Though she was ashamed to admit it to herself, Rose had not expected the Slytherin girl to object to the situation.

And the situation! Where the two girls really implying that someone was feeding hegolith to the dragons? The part about the pickers left her stumped, but then she remembered what the centaur Noxe had said about the forest.

_"They have taken from the land, and have given nothing in return._"

"Someone has to stop him before anyone else gets hurt," said Riss coolly. "We'll have to come up with a plan..."

Rose continued to pace around the room, the conversation she just overheard clattering about in her head. If she what she had heard was true - and she did believe it to be so - then Louis was feeding hegolith to the dragons.

But what would be the point? How would he profit from the dragons' changing moods and raging tempers? Why would he intentionally hurt people, people like Hagrid or Deasia?

There had to be a logical solution to it all. Louis would never intentionally hurt anyone - would he?

Dominique was rubbing her forehead when Rose returned.

"Thank you anyway," she said to Deasia, who nodded, her mouth in a tight line. "I think we'll just go, then."

"Have a good evening," said Deasia quietly.

Rose follow Dominique out, waving back to Deasia before the door swung closed.

"What did she say?" asked Rose.

It looked like Dominique wasn't going to answer. After a moment, though, she snapped, "Nothing."

"But -"

"They're not allowed to betray the trust of their _clients_," said Dominique angrily. "There's _confidentiality_ involved. They can't _alienate_ their _customers_."

Rose had to admit, it made sense. Still, something was nagging at the back of her mind.

"Maybe Louis is telling the truth," she said, trying to think out loud. "Maybe -"

"Then he would no longer be one of their bloody _customers_," cried Dominique, smacking a stone wall with her hand. "They would have been able to _tell_ me."

There was no arguing with Dominique. She was steadfast and resolved. In her eyes, Louis was guilty - and Rose had to agree.


	20. Chapter 20

There was no good time to tell the others that Louis was behind the dragon attacks. Rose was so hesitant to believe it herself, but all the evidence pointed her cousin. How could he do it?

She caught up with Albus, James, and Lysander on their way to breakfast the next morning.

"Get Lorcan," she told them quietly. "We're going down to the Generation Room. There's something I have to tell you."

Albus and Lysander nodded and kept walking. Rose caught James' arm and held him back, ignoring the confusion on his face.

"I'm bringing Scorpius," she said, not pausing to hear his objections. "You are either going to deal with his presence or not come. It's time for you to choose where you stand."

James's eyes narrowed. "You would choose the purist scum over your own family?" he said accusingly. "Time after time, it's him over me. It makes me sick."

"It's been your decision all along. You're choosing our parents enmity over family and possible friendship. I'm leaving the choice to you."

James was silent for a long moment. Finally, when Rose had just begun to give up hope, he sneered.

"If he ever hurts you or Al," he said, "I have the right to kill him. Deal?"

Rose rolled her eyes. James was more of her big brother than her cousin most of the time. Immature, rash, and sometimes a bit dense... but family.

There was no time to waste. Rose sent James down to wait by the trapdoor. She headed for the Great Hall, where breakfast had just begun.

Approaching the Slytherin table was nerve-racking. She remembered Alistair Trimble, sitting at the head of the table with Lisana Blackwell by his side. They were the king and queen of the chessboard, surrounded by their pawns, all expendable.

Luckily, Scorpius had been able to escape that game. And now, now Rose had nothing to fear.

Scorpius sat alone, with an empty space on both sides of him. Rose approached slowly, casually ambling towards him. It was all too easy to lean down -

"Come with me."

- and in the same movement, continue to stroll away. She could hear Scorpius rise and follow, just as casual as she.

Rose turned to Scorpius only once they were out of the Great Hall.

"Last year, my cousins and I discovered a room," she said, trying to consolidate the story. The twins were as much her cousins Albus and James were. "Well, we rediscovered it, more like. We call it the Generation Room. It's where we went when we needed to talk... or to hide."

"Are we hiding or talking?"

"Talking," she said, "thankfully. But we hid there with Dmitri during the second task last year, and now we're going back."

"Lead the way," said Scorpius calmly.

She continued to get him up to speed with the situation as they walked briskly.

"James is going to be there," she warned him, "so be careful. I told him he better behave, but he can be unpredictable at best. "

"I'll be on my best behavior, then," said Scorpius with a smirk. "Honestly, it'll all turn out fine one of these days. You'll see."

Rose remembered James's words to her. "Right," she said skeptically.

Scorpius was as intrigued as Rose had been with the collection of items littering the third-floor corridor.

"Are these runes?" he asked, kneeling to examine the toppled pillar.

"I think so, "said Rose, "but I haven't had the time to examine them. Speaking of which, we should keep moving."

James was waiting alone in front of the open trapdoor.

"The others went down already," he said curtly. "Let's go."

"There are cushions below," Rose told Scorpius as James hopped down through the hole. "The fall's not too bad."

"Then let's go," said Scorpius with a grin. He leapt into the hole, holding his nose as if he was plunging into water.

Rolling her eyes, Rose waited for the telltale thud and Scorpius' call of "All clear!" to jump. Squeezing her eyes shut, she curled her knees to her chest so she landed on her rear.

"Good of you to join us," said James tersely. "Let's go."

"You still haven't told me what all of this is about," said Scorpius as Rose muttered, "_Lumos_,"

"When everyone's together," she said. "I'm only explaining this once."

Scorpius surveyed the rooms they passed through silently, occasionally nodding and running a hand across the walls. Rose wondered what he knew of the history of the rooms, and decided that now, in front of James, was not the time to ask.

Lorcan, Lysander, and Albus were waiting in the Generation Room. Lysander paced while Albus sat against a pillar. Lorcan was flat on his stomach, once again sketching on the ground. He looked up as Rose, Scorpius, and James entered.

"Sibyl wants to see us tonight," he said, "right after dinner. Don't forget your pack."

"I take it basically everywhere," said Rose defensively.

"So what's wrong?" asked Albus. "Unless you just decided that we don't really need to eat today."

There was no easy way to do this. "Louis is the reason the dragons have been acting up," said Rose quietly. "He's been feeding them hegolith for some reason."

"Hegolith?" said Lysander, shocked. "We picked that from the forest, remember? Why would he -"

"I don't know. Maybe -"

"The findings are inconclusive. No one knows how hegolith affects magical creatures."

"Well, apparently we do now," said Rose, launching into the explanation. She went over everything, from the centaurs - "They said someone was taking from the forest, remember?" - to Enchanting Enhancements.

"But why?" said Lysander. "There's no reason. And Louis is a good bloke -"

"Even if he wasn't, there would be no reason," said Scorpius. "I don't know him, so I'm the objective one here. No motive."

"But all the proof points to him," said Albus, looking at Rose sadly. "Would Louis really run the chance of hurting you?"

Rose had been doing her best to avoid that very question. Now, it bounced around in her head, growing louder and louder.

"I don't know," she said quietly. "Apparently he would."

"Well, not anymore," announced James. "This ends today. I say we go back up, pull him out of the Great Hall, and demand an explanation."

"And cause a scene?" said Albus. "If we're going to confront him, we have to get him alone. Do you know how much trouble he could get in? He could get expelled, easily."

"I don't want him to get in trouble," said Rose quickly. "I just want him to... stop."

"He's going to have to pretty soon," remarked Lorcan from the floor. "So Moaning Myrtle said that the Rider woman is in really bad condition?"

Rose hadn't even found time to worry about Maria. "Yes," she said, "she's in St. Mungo's with the other Riders."

Lysander stopped pacing and gave Rose a look she did not care for at all.

"You realize that if she dies, there may not be anything we can do to save Louis, right?" he said, softly. "It'll be the Wizengamot if he's lucky, an international war if he's not."

"I know that's," said Rose, her head already pounding, "so it's important that we get this settled tonight."

"We can get him alone on his way to lunch," suggested Scorpius. "Bring him here and stage an intervention."

"That works for me," said Lorcan. "As long as Rose and I get to our lesson on time. I don't want to be the one explaining this to Sibyl."

"We'll have hours to spare," said Rose reassuringly. "Don't worry. Just bring your Seer's bag with you and it'll be fine."

"I can't believe were going to do this," groaned Albus. "He's our cousin, Rose."

"He could have killed me," said Rose sharply, "or Deasia, or Hagrid, or still Maria. I think he deserves a little intervention."

"If the plan is set, then we should get going," said Scorpius. "I'm pretty sure we're missing Evariste's final review."

"At this point, I hardly care," muttered Rose.

Lorcan, Lysander, and James decided to bail out on the remainder of their Charms class. They said goodbye to Rose, Albus, and Scorpius, who headed down to the second floor.

"- which is why you are lucky that we will not be having a practical section for this year's finals," Professor Evariste was saying when the trio entered. "And here they are now, my three favorite students. Where precisely have they been, class?"

"Sorry we're late," muttered Albus.

"We got caught up," said Rose. "Sorry."

Scorpius grunted something that may have been an apology.

"I'll hear your explanation after class," said Evariste with a wave of his hand. "We were just going over my final examination."

Rose forced herself to pay attention for the remainder of glass. She took diligent notes while Albus and Scorpius ignored Professor Evariste completely. When the bell rang, they looked confused.

"I hope you two came up with a good excuse," hissed Rose as she packed her bag.

Professor Evariste waited for them behind his desk. When all the other students had left, he sighed.

"I trust that's been tardy to my review was necessary," he said, not looking up from the papers he was flipping through. "If that is so, then I believe we have finished."

Rose exchanged a confused look with Albus and Scorpius. Was he really letting them go with no punishment?

"I'll be seeing you," said Professor Evariste, clearly dismissing them. Rose nodded and gestured for Albus and Scorpius to follow her.

"How bizarre," remarked Albus once the door was shut. "We're not even going to get a warning?"

"Bizarre indeed," said Rose. "It's like he knew what we are up to."

"But he doesn't."

"But he could," objected Scorpius. "Rose, you always said that he knows that that you're coming before you arrive, right?"

"Right," she said. "It's odd, but I don't feel like he's watching us or anything."

"It's just something to think about," said Scorpius.

"Come on," said Rose, "we can't be late for Charms too."

The rest of the morning went by in a blur. Rose did her best to concentrate, but memories of Louis plagued her. What would Arianna do when she found out? What about Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur? How would it affect the rest of the family?

By the time lunch the lunch bell rang, she had a massive headache. She followed Albus and Scorpius out of the dungeons as she rubbed her temples.

"Headache," she explained when they looked at her oddly. "Come on, let's get this over with."

There was just one problem.

"What do you mean, he wasn't _there_?" cried Albus. "James, you were supposed to be watching him!"

"He wasn't there to watch," insisted James. "He didn't show up to any of his morning classes."

"This is ridiculous," said Rose. "I'm going to grab my Seer's pack."

"I'll go with you," offered Lorcan. "C'mon."

When they were out of hearing distance of the group, Rose turned to Lorcan.

"What?" he said.

"You Saw something, didn't you?" said Rose, already convinced.

Lorcan sighed. "I don't know _what_ I saw, alright? But you were there, and then everything went black. I think it's a warning."

"A warning? Against what?

"I'm not sure," he said, clearly frustrated. "I suppose I'll have to consult with Sibyl tonight."

The Fat Lady, still unable to differentiate between the Scamander twins, admitted Lorcan to the common room in his brother's guise, overlooking the tie he had removed that bore his true house colors.

"I'll check up in Louis' dorm," he offered once they had slipped through the portrait hole.

Rose went up to her dormitory and hefted her large Seer's kit onto one shoulder, leaving her regular bag behind. She didn't know if she had it in her to make it through the intervention and a full afternoon of classes.

Something caused her to glance out her window before leaving her room. What she saw made her gasp and run down the stairs.

"Lorcan, Marco's back!" she cried. "He's out there was Contessa now! I have to go see him."

"Louis wasn't up there," said Lorcan, "so I suppose you might as well. Can't very well have this intervention without him."

"Tell the others I'll be back soon," she called over her shoulder as she ran out of the common room.

The bag weighed her down a bit, but Rose still made it onto the grounds in good time. Contessa's large frame created a vast shadow by the edge of the forest. When Rose approached, however, she saw that it was not Marco standing by her side.

"Rose," said Tobias Krimp with a grin. "Marco sent for you too?"

"No," she said, "I looked out and thought that you were him, actually. Have you been here long?"

"I've been waiting for an hour," admitted Tobias ruefully, "but I reckon it's worth it. You don't think something else happened, do you?"

"I'm not sure," said Rose uneasily. "After Maria, you mean?"

"I hope she's healing up well. Marco didn't mention her in his note, he just said to come down."

Rose's attention had shifted, however. The locket had begun to heat up.

"Tobias, move!" she cried, throwing out an arm. "Get out of the way!"

But something was wrong. Contessa was perfectly content sitting on the grass, looking around lazily. Even when the heat on Rose's chest grew, the dragon remained still.

Tobias lunged to the side, falling hard on one arm. He looked at the Contessa expectantly, and seemed equally confused when she did nothing.

"Do you think she's going to attack or something?" he asked, bewildered. "Like it happened with Deasia?"

"I thought she was," said Rose uncertainly, "but I guess I was wrong. I'm sorry, let me help you up."

But Tobias held up his hands almost defensively. "I've got it," he said, pushing himself up and knocking the grass off his robes. "So, what sets you off?"

"What?"

"What tips you off about the dragons losing it, I mean."

"Oh."

Rose had to think for a moment. She couldn't remember what she had said before – had it been the dragons' body language? She couldn't quite recall, and worse, the locket still burned. She was still in trouble.

"Her -" she began, then noticed something odd. Tobias had just popped something into his mouth. And now he was toying around with his wand.

"Ah," he said, "I almost forgot. _Imperio_."

Yes, she was in trouble indeed.


	21. Chapter 21

It was a feeling unlike Rose had ever known. Her muscles felt both stiff and incredibly relaxed. It was as if fog had swamped her vision, but she didn't care, because there was just an overwhelming feeling of _happiness_.

There was a faint tickling in the back of her mind, something objecting as she sat against a large tree. There was nothing wrong with the action, of course. She wanted it. Of course she did.

"Stay there for a minute, would you?" said Tobias casually. "I really need to sort this out. Hrmm... I suppose this will do quite nicely."

How odd - the fog still lingered over Rose's vision, but there appeared to be a hole developing it. She could feel the fog beginning to melt away, but when she tried to see the whole, it vanished. Odd, indeed, but nothing to concern herself over. After all, the voice in the back of her mind was telling her to _relax_. So relax she did.

"How -"

_Silence_.

Rose's mouth shut. What was she going to say, anyway? She couldn't even remember.

"We shouldn't stay here for much longer," said Tobias with a frown. "Marco might return with another dragon, and wouldn't that just wreck things entirely?"

_Agree._

"Yes, it would," said Rose automatically.

"Off we go, then. Get on Contessa. _Now_."

Rose popped off the ground, staggering as she balanced the weight of her Seer's kit. Contessa, somehow knowing what was going to happen, knelt so Rose could mount up.

_Jump_.

Bending her knees, Rose sprung up onto Contessa's back. It was an impossibly high jump, but that didn't matter to her. She had made it, as she had been commanded to.

Tobias reached into his pocket and took out a small velvet bag. From it, he took a clump of maroon herbs and pop up in his mouth. Hegolith.

They had been wrong. Mindel and Riss hadn't been talking about Louis. It was not Louis feeding hegolith to the dragons. It was Tobias.

Tobias took another pinch of hegolith and held it out for Contessa. The dragon stuck out her long tongue and licked up the herb.

_Hold on tight_.

Rose wrapped her arms around Contessa's neck, steadying herself as Tobias climbed onto Contessa's back.

"Ready?" he asked, clearly not expecting an answer. "Let's get moving."

It was Rose's first time on a dragon without a saddle or reins. She clung to Contessa's neck desperately as her wings began to flap. They rose into the air slowly, and Rose couldn't help but let out a small squeal.

_Silence!_ Her inner voice snapped, and it is to be obeyed.

The ride was absolutely terrifying. Each time Contessa beat her wings, Rose slipped backwards another inch. She was convinced that when they began the descent, she was sure to topple off.

On some unspoken signal, Contessa turned and began to circle over a clearing in the woods. Slowly, her wing beats became less and less frequent. They began to land.

Landing had always been Rose's least favorite part of riding. Not only was it lamentable due to the ride being over, but it always scared her, even when in a saddle.

Once Contessa's paws were all on solid ground, Rose itched to get down from the dragons back. However, she found she could not move a muscle. She was frozen.

Tobias hopped down, landing easily on his feet. Popping another clump of hegolith into his mouth, he waved for Rose to join him.

_Come._

Rose slid off Contessa's back and landed directly in front of Tobias, who grinned.

"So much easier than I expected," he said. "I was told that your mind was strong. Apparently, the Adderhead was... mistaken."

What's in the wizarding world was an Adderhead? Rose wanted to ask, but she found that her mouth was still bound by Tobias's wishes.

"He was not mistaken on one matter, though," continued Tobias, beginning to pace. "I was warned that you would be a pest, but I had no idea that one little witch could be so _annoying_!"

He continued pacing for moment, then was struck with an idea.

_Give me your wand._

Rose drew her wand out of her pocket and held it out for Tobias to take. After all, he has asked politely. Or hadn't he asked at all?

Tobias took the wand and snapped in half.

"My wand!" cried Rose, breaking through the fog for a moment.

_I said be silent!_

But the fog over her vision had shattered. She remained frozen, unsure of what to do next. The locket still blazed on her chest – it was surely what had broken through the spell. Could Tobias tell?

It didn't appear that he could. He returned to pacing, looking darkly thoughtful.

"You cause quite a mess for me this year," he said. "Ever since you were selected for the Race, you've been... meddling."

Tobias took more hegolith from his pocket and began to chew it. Rose wondered what effect it would have on him, to consume so much of it in such a short period of time. It didn't appear to be calming down, as it did with Louis.

"You know," he said angrily, "I reckon you're the reason that it hasn't been working. My plan. The hegolith. Those bloody dragons..."

Contessa looked around the clearing lazily, then sat. She began to watch Tobias, her large sapphire eyes following his footsteps as he paced.

"It was simple enough," he continued harshly. "All we had to do was get the stupid dragons to eat some of the damn hegolith and it would work, right? Just like magic. Except it didn't. It didn't _work_!"

He punctuated his frustration by kicking a tree. His pacing continued, but he seems to be growing more aggravated than ever.

Rose struggled to put all of the pieces together. What had she done to anger Tobias? How had she interfered with his plans?

"Then your blasted _uncle_ appeared," sneers Tobias. "They start watching the dragons more _closely_, it becomes even harder to _feed_ them. Because of you, I was relegated to the middle of the night, when they were all asleep."

Rose chanced a question. "To do what?"

"To _feed _them, you stupid little girl!" snapped Tobias. "How else do you think we were going to control them? They're _dragons_. Unaltered, they're not exactly open to magical influence. But with the hegolith..."

Rose remembered her readings on hegolith. Its effect on magical creatures had not yet been discovered, though some believe it to open the minds of the creatures to magical influence.

"But it didn't work," she said tentatively.

"Obviously it didn't _work_," said Tobias. "And it's all your fault."

He narrowed his eyes angrily. Rose watched, frozen, as he drew his wand.

"You've been nothing but a pest all year," he growled. "The Adderhead said not to hurt you, but I'm sure he'd understand... under the circumstances..."

"Wait!" cried Rose. "I can - I can help! With the dragons!" The idea had come to her suddenly, abruptly. But just possibly, it just might work.

Tobias paused, obviously interested. "You're bluffing," he said, not lowering his wand.

"I am not," said Rose, trying to sound confident. "You said you wanted to magical influence the dragons, right?"

Tobias sneered but nodded.

"Well, I know how to do it. Let me show you."

She had no plan, no idea of what she would do next. Her only goal was to buy herself some more time, any reason for Tobias not to kill her.

Did she have anything in her Seer's pack that could help her? She struggled to remember what Professor Trelawney had helped her pack. Crystal ball... cup for tea... phoenix feather...

"Alright," snapped Tobias, reaching into his pocket for more hegolith. "Give it a try. Don't even _think_ about making a run for it, though."

She wouldn't dream of it. Without her wand, she had no way to fight Tobias - not that she could beat him even if she was armed. He was older and certainly vastly more experienced.

She took slow, calculated steps to Contessa, who lifted her head lazily. Her brilliant sapphire eyes looked at Rose questioningly. Why wasn't she getting ready to ride?

Rose search through her memory. Was there something in there about influencing magical creatures? Nothing came to mind when she thought about it.

"_Zlo_," she muttered. It was the Russian word for evil, one of the words she remembered from her time with Dmitri.

Now was not the time to think about how much she missed Dmitri. It would only cause her pain, and she desperately needed to concentrate.

"_Zlo_," she repeated, letting her eyes bore into Contessa's. "_Zlo… vrana…._"

It was the Russian word for raven, and the nickname Rafael had given his younger brother.

"_Vrana… zlo… Trijuska…._"

Rose didn't understand what happened at first. One moment she was staring into Contessa the eyes; the next, she was inches away from Tobias' red face.

"Did you think you could trick me?" he screamed, his words slamming into Rose. "How dare you bring up Trijuska? How do you know the secret pact? _Answer me!_"

He jammed his wand under Roses jawbone.

"What?" she stammered. "I didn't - I don't -"

"You lie!" hollered Tobias. "If the Adderhead knew - such blasphemy - you don't even -"

His face was growing redder by the moment. His breath reeked of what could only be hegolith, and his tongue was stained burgundy.

"I—I don't know what you're -"

"_Don't lie to me!"_

Rose took a sharp breath. The tip of Tobias his wand had grown dangerously hot.

"You have mentioned the Trijuska ," he said darkly. "No one must know... surely the Adderhead would agree... you must die."

When something touched Rose's foot, she ignored it. There were more important things to worry about - her death, for one. She would never get say goodbye to her parents... Hugo... her cousins and friends...

But then she chanced to look down. By her foot rested a glass ball, unmistakably one of Marco's. It seemed to be filled with the black swirling mist.

There is no time to make a decision.

"_Avada_—"

She stomped on the glass ball –

-and the entire world went black.

Tobias' grip on Rose loosens enough for her to slip away. She took one step to the side, then realized that she had no way of escaping. With no wand, and nothing of use in her Seer's kit -

The phoenix feather.

She ripped the top of her bag open and began groping around inside it. Luckily, the phoenix feather was close to the top. She pulled it out - but nothing happened.

"_Lumos!_" someone cried from the all-consuming blackness.

Panicking, Rose tried putting the feather over her eyes. Nothing but darkness.

"Your forehead, Rose!" another voice cried out. "Put it– oof!"

Rose slapped the phoenix feather on her forehead. Instantly, the blackness disappeared.

Tobias was groping around near Contessa, obviously trying to mount up. On the other side of the clearing stood a group that Rose would know anywhere.

"Use a binding spell!" yelled Scorpius. "Get him to a tree!"

"He broke my wand!"

"Ah, hell."

Scorpius pulled out his own wand and held out. "Catch!"

The wand flew easily into Rose's outstretched hand, almost as if he was magnetically drawn to her. She grabbed it tightly and located Tobias, who was still fumbling around in the dark.

"_Emboundo_," she cried, pointing the unfamiliar wand at Tobias. He stiffened like a board and flew back against the tree he was standing before. Crying out, he struggled to break free.

"_Emboundo_," ordered Rose again, this time envisioning thick cords wrapping themselves around Tobias' wriggling body.

She took a startled step back and almost dropped the phoenix feather. Thin, spindly branches began dropping out of the tree and winding themselves around Tobias. When they stopped, only his head was clear of foliage.

Rose refocused her attention on the others at the edge of the clearing. Scorpius was waving his hands in front of his face, as if he could wipe away the darkness. Albus, Lorcan, and Lysander stood by his side. Barely visible beyond them were James and Marco, who was leaning on a tree for support.

"Rose?" called Scorpius, looking a few feet to Rose's left. "Did you get him?"

"Yes," she said, "I got him."

"Can we leave, then?" complained James. "I'm not loving the darkness."

But as he spoke, the black began to fade away. Rose lowered her phoenix feather and found that she could still see.

"Contessa," said Marco with relief. "Is she okay?"

"She seemed fine to me," said Rose, "but be careful. Tobias was feeding her hegolith before."

This startled everyone but Lysander, who nodded. "I was afraid of that. Did he give her a lot?"

"Not too much, but it may be enough to set her off." Rose touched her locket, which had just begun to cool. "She safe for now, though."

By this time, the darkness had completely cleared away. Rose stowed the phoenix feather back in her bag with hands that trembled slightly.

This meant that Tobias was once again able to see. He whipped his head around, taking in the additions to the group.

"_Expelliarmus_ ," said Rose, seeing Tobias struggling against his bonds. From beneath the foliage shot his wand, soaring in an arc to Rose's waiting hand.

She bridged the gap between where she stood and the others. "Here," she said, handing Scorpius' wand back to him. "I'll use his for a bit."

Albus was giving her a deeply concerned look, which was echoed in the others' faces.

"Don't worry about me," said Rose quickly, feeling heat rise to her cheeks. "I'm all right. But what do we do with him?"

All the while, Tobias was attempting to free himself from his bonds. "You stupid little girl!" he howled. "The Adderhead will show you no mercy after this!"

Unexpectedly, Scorpius pointed his wand at Tobias. "Don't even threaten her with him," he ordered coldly. "That Adderhead of yours is no more real than your twisted dreams."

Tobias howled wordlessly.

"We should get back to the castle," said Lysander worriedly. "Can we lead Contessa through the forest?"

"I'll ride her," said Marco gravely. "You'll walk back along the way we came."

"I'll lead them," said Rose, feeling the locket rise up from her chest once more. Albus saw what was happening and nodded.

Marco limped over to Contessa's side slowly. "Down, girl," he said. She knelt instantly, bowing low to the ground. "Good girl."

"Are you sure you're okay to ride?" Said Rose. "I could always bring her back."

"Not without a saddle," said Marco, petting Contessa's scales. "Not again. It's miraculous enough that neither of you fell the first time. I'll be fine."

Contessa stayed perfectly still as Marco slid easily onto her back. "Good," he murmured. "Now, _lasticanto_!"

In one fluid movement, Contessa stood and leapt into the air. Her wings beat furiously, pulling both Dragon and Rider into the air. Barely missing the trees surrounding the clearing, Contessa rose into the sky and began to fly away.

Someone had put a silencing spell on Tobias. Now his mouth moved, but thankfully, they could not hear him screaming.

"Nice binding spell, by the way," commented Lysander, looking at Tobias studiously. "I like how you use the branches."

"I didn't know what else to use," said Rose. "How did you all find me?"

James grinned and pulled out a folded square of parchment. "No need to use your freaky locket," he declared. "Let's go! I brought the map."

"You never came back from meeting with Marco," explained Lorcan

"It was a trap," said Rose. "I came down and it was Tobias, not Marco."

"We know," said Albus. "We came down and found Marco, who was all in a panic because Contessa was gone."

"We used the map to find you two," said James. "Turns out it does show the forest."

"And the glass ball... that was what you saw, wasn't it?" Rose asked Lorcan, who had remained unusually silent. "I was there, then everything went black."

Lorcan nodded. "I had already made it with Marco," he said quietly. "I had a feeling I would need it - we would need it. It was filled with Peruvian Darkness Powder from Christmas."

Uncle George had given all the cousins the powder for Christmas. Rose's back was still at home - it was on the prohibited items list Hogwarts. Leave it to Lorcan to bring it anyway.

"So what exactly happened?" asked Scorpius curiously. "You went to see Marco, and then what?"

Rose told the whole story, from the moment she arrived to Tobias using the Imperious Curse on her.

"He did what?" snapped James angrily.

"I'm fine," Rose reassured him, "don't worry. It was just... the oddest feeling. I knew what I was doing, but it didn't matter."

Albus groaned when she got to the part about Trijuska . "Oh, Rose, you didn't."

"If you hadn't arrived when you did," she said softly, "I don't know what would've happened. He was… furious." That reminded her – "Scorpius, who is the Adderhead?"

"I was wondering that myself," said Lysander. "I've never heard that name before."

Scorpius took a moment to answer. "I'm not sure," he said, "but... nevermind."

"Tell us, Scorpius," said Rose firmly. "I think I have the right to know after everything that has happened."

"Fine," sighed Scorpius. "I've heard the term around the common room sometimes, always with the older boys. James Baena said it once to Alistair last year and Alastair was pissed."

Rose's entire body went cold. Would it always come back to Alistair?

"Tobias said that he was supposed to be opening the dragons' minds to magical influence. You think they were –"

"Trying to make them into weapons?" finished Lysander. "My thoughts exactly. It certainly made them dangerous."

"But not controllable," finished Rose. "That's ultimately what he wanted."

"I suppose Louis had nothing to do with it, then," said Albus wearily. "How could we get everything so backwards?"

"Easily, with this bloke involved," muttered James, shooting a glare at Scorpius.

Rose ignored his response. "I feel terrible about it now," she said, realizing what she would've been accusing her cousin of.

"Don't," said Lorcan with a sad smile. "After all, he never has to know."

However, by the time they emerged from the forest, there seem to be a great deal of people who knew what happened.

"Miss Weasley!" cried Professor McGonagall. She had a simple handkerchief and was using it to blot her face. "Mister Potter – Mister Scamander – Mister Malfoy –"

"Let's not interrogate them just now," said Professor Evariste with a slight smile. "I believe they are being waited for the hospital wing."

"Of course," said Professor McGonagall. "Hazen, would you mind escorting them?"

Rose spied Contessa over by Hagrid's hut. Hagrid was petting Contessa, while Marco spoke with a group of Ministry witches and wizards.

"If you will allow me to," said Marco, "I will bring you to the boy."

Rose was reassured to see Marco off Contessa and well. Contessa herself was looking dazed and a bit disoriented.

"Marco!" she called out to him."Contessa is starting to cycle," she warned. "She's not dangerous now, but someone should tie her down away from people."

One of the wizards stopped and looked to the others as if they had told a particularly ridiculous joke. Marco leveled a serious gaze at the man.

"That's it the young prophetess I spoke of earlier," he said gravely. "You would do well to heed her advice. I will take Contessa down, then accompany you into the forest.

Rose was surprised by another figure running down from the castle. She saw who it was a moment before he enveloped her and hug.

"Rose," said Uncle Charlie thankfully. "Albus, James, all of you! You have no idea how happy I am to see you."

"We're all fine," said Rose, "no need to squeeze us to death!"

Charlie Weasley released his neice. "I've just got down from the Owlery. I've sent owls off to all of your parents. Well - er-"

Rose could tell that Uncle Charlie had just caught sight of Scorpius.

"I'll send an owl when we get back to the castle," said Scorpius quickly.

"You'll see to that," Professor McGonagall told Professor Evariste. "Hazen, let's see these children to the hospital wing. Madam Chang must be frantic with waiting."

To his credit, Professor Evariste refrained from asking questions as he walked the group into the castle. Instead, he hummed tunelessly until they reached the second floor.

"I'll be serving tea at three o'clock tomorrow," he told Rose, his voice low. "Please, feel free to inform the others."

By _the others_, Rose knew he only meant Albus and Scorpius. Tea was starting to become a bit of a tradition with the four of them.

Madam Chang relegated each of the students to separate beds. "No talking, now." she ordered. "I need to concentrate."

It had been an exorbitantly long day. As Madam Chang began examining Albus, Rose drifted off to sleep. After the day she had had, she deserved it.


	22. Chapter 22

Rose only woke once Madam Chang tapped her.

"Rose? Rose, you need to wake up."

Rose groaned and tried to bat the prodding hand away. "Go away," she moaned, then started. Laughter sounded from all around her.

"Albus told me that you took the worst of it," said Madam Chang as Rose sat upward and looked around.

The room was full of Weasleys. Dominique and Louis were arguing quietly in a corner, while Lucy was sitting on the floor with a book. Roxanne and Fred were on the edge of Albus' bed, and Rose could hear him explaining the afternoon's event.

"Yes," said Madam Chang, seeing how Rose looked around, "your cousins were quite persistent about seeing you all. The headmistress finally told me to admit them."

"Persistence is an understatement," said Rose. "I hope they didn't cause you to much of a problem."

Madam Chang smiled sweetly. "Oh, don't worry about them," she said dismissively. "I heard that you were the center of all this afternoon's excitement."

"Albus spilled everything!" James called from the other side of the room. He and Lysander had pushed their beds together and were in the midst of a game of wizards chess.

"I told them the story as it happened," replied Albus. "Rose, can you throw something at him for me?"

"There was just a minor altercation," said Rose simply.

"Well," said Madam Chang, "it sounds to me like you took quite a bruising. Oh, here's another one on your cheek. I almost didn't see it because of this nasty rash you have."

Rose touched her face gingerly, and felt a large patch of raised bumps spread across her cheek and down her neck.

"It's the hegolith again," said Rose, "but this will be the last time. I'm sure of it."

Rose was the only one required to stay in the hospital wing overnight. Lorcan left with most of the cousins, for he still had to go to Professor Trelawney's lesson. The rest of the room took a bit longer to empty out.

"I should get going," said Lysander, the next to rise. "Someone has to find out what the rest of the school is saying, eh?"

"I should leave too," said Scorpius, "but I don't really want to."

"You're common room must be a wreck," said Albus. "Do you think it will be bad for you to go back?"

"I'll live," said Scorpius, "don't worry about it. I'll go hole up in my dormitory for a bit. Finals are soon, so they'll be too busy studying to cause me problems."

"Oh, we won't worry," said James dismissively. "Go on then."

Scorpius might have said something further, but at that moment, that Madam Chang appeared to dismiss them all.

"You may visit again in the morning," she said firmly, "but for now, Rose needs her rest."

Rose had to agree. She was exhausted and he day to come would only be harder.

Unfortunately, Rose did not get the rest she had expected. She woke with a start to hear the end of a resounding bang.

"I told you to -"

"Shhh!"

Rose sat bolt upright, groping for her wand before realizing it was gone. The hushed voices continued.

"All I meant was -"

"You'll wake her up!"

Rose's heart was truly pounding. Worse still, her locket had begun to heat up.

"Just shut up and do what I say," replied the second voice harshly. "Now get your wand out and follow me."

A small orb of light appeared by the doorway. Rose quickly lay back down on her bed, feigning sleep. Her eyes barely open, she watched the light grow closer and closer.

Why were the voices so familiar? It wasn't Albus and Scorpius as she had first suspected. The voices didn't match up, and neither did the heavy footfalls. She could only make out one of the speakers faces when he was right beside her bed.

"Good," said Herbert Chornell, "she's still asleep. You're lucky that you didn't wake her."

"How were we going to do this?" asked the second voice. This person was completely unknown to Rose. His face was still hitting the darkness. "The Adderhead -"

"He will reward us greatly for our actions," said Herbert confidently. "Where Tobias failed, we shall succeed. Quick, grab that pillow."

Rose tried to stay as still as possible as the locket tried to burn a hole through her chest. How was she going to defend herself without her wand? She had never bothered herself with learning Muggle defense tricks, instead choosing to study additional defensive spells. It was a choice she was beginning to regret.

"Now -"

There was a squeak that Rose recognized as the main doors to the hospital wing. Both figures turned, startled. There were clacking footsteps, which stopped directly beside Roses bed create.

A rustle of fabric. From Roses barely open eyes, she could see Herbert and his companion kneeling.

"My lady," murmured Herbert.

"What a pathetic attempt at an assassination," said a high, reedy voice. "Let me guess: you were going to smother the girl with a pillow."

"We only wish to do with the great Adderhead's will,." said Herbert softly. "This girl has -"

"I know perfectly well what she has done," said the female voice lazily. "Unfortunately, she is part of the greater plan. The Adderhead, as you so faithfully call him, does not want to see her killed. She has yet to serve her purpose."

Rose was trying to place the voice. There was a memory - a dark room in the dungeons, a ring of chairs, a line of drinks. And, of course, the only other female present.

"So be gone," snapped Lisana Blackwell. "I must be going now or I'll be missed. But remember this: we do not touch the girl."

"Yes, my Lady," said both boys.

Rose remained still as she heard two steps of footsteps make a hasty exit. She could still hear Lisana's breathing, which came out as a deep sigh.

"You worthless little girl," muttered Lisana. "Get your sleep while you can. You'll need it."

There was no sign of Lisana departing, but when Rose chanced to open her eyes, the other girl was gone.

What was that? Rose's mind raced, trying to catch up with what had just happened.

The first thing she was certain I was at or Herbert Chornell had appeared with an unknown friend. They had discussed her and possibly a plan to... kill her?

Or had it all been a dream? Her eyelids, heavy with unfinished dreams, began to droop as she struggled to remember exactly what had had been said. What did Herbert say about a pillow? Were they going to smother her, as Lisana had claimed?

It must have been a dream. After all, how could Lisana Blackwell be in the castle? She had finished her final year at Hogwarts the year before. Besides, Hogwarts was virtually impenetrable. There would have been no way for her to sneak into the castle.

Rose let her eyes slide closed. It had been no more than a bizarre dream - to be expected after the day she had had. Blaming stress and the medicine Madam Chang had given her, Rose returned to sleep.

Her dreams were no less disturbing than the first. Alistair floated in and out of them constantly, sometimes accompanied by Lisana, Herbert, or Tobias.

"It is done, my Lord," murmured Tobias.

"She will be dealt with," added Herbert, kneeling next to Tobias.

"See that it is done," replied Alistair lazily. "Poor girl. I had such high hopes for her."

Rose woke once more, her heart pounding. She grabbed her pocket and found that it was reassuringly cold. It had only been a dream...

**ENTER LINE BREAK HERE**

"Madam Chang, I'm _fine_."

Madam Chang sighed, then pinched the bridge of her nose. "Fine. You may go, I suppose."

Albus and Scorpius exchanged a victorious look.

Rose had finally fallen back to sleep at dawn. Ever since she had woken up, she had been arguing with Madam Chang, trying desperately to be released from the hospital wing.

"Thank you, Madam Chang!" said Albus gleefully. "Come on, Rose, there are some people who want to see you."

Hovering outside the hospital wing were Herbert Chornell and a boy who reminded Rose of a rat. Upon seeing the two, Scorpius casually drew his wand.

Herbert sneered. "Good to see you well," he drawled nastily. "Such a surprise, about Tobias."

The second boy was twisting a ring almost nervously. Staring at it, Rose saw it was a silver snake coiled around his finger. Two red stones replaced the snake eyes. As Rose watched, the snake's mouth opened to reveal pearly fangs.

Herbert jabbed the boy's side with his elbow. They exchanged a dark look, then Herbert walked away without any parting words.

"To your good health," said the other boy in a gravelly voice. He turned and followed Herbert.

Scorpius only put his wand back in his pocket when the two boys turned down another corridor.

"Scum," he muttered.

"Come on," said Rose, completely unnerved, "let's go see Professor Evariste."

The door was ajar when they reached the office. Professor Evariste was pouring tea into four brightly colored mugs. He looked up as they entered, then set the pot down on doily.

"The house heads have a meeting with Professor McGonagall in an hour, but I wanted to speak with three of you first. How are you?"

"As good as I can be," said Rose as they all sat. "Still a bit shocked. Shaken."

"I'll, yes," said Professor Evariste, "it must have been quite traumatizing for you. Word around the castle is that you are currently wandless, correct?"

Rose nodded glumly. "Yes, sir. Tobias snapped it."

"Don't start with calling me sir now," said Professor Evariste with a wave of his hand. "It's horribly formal, and formality gives me nasty headaches. Now, tell me your side of the tale. I'm sure that half of what I've heard simply cannot be true."

Rose looked Albus and Scorpius, unsure of where to begin. She was embarrassed about their theory about Louis, horrified that she had thought her relative guilty of such a thing. Albus and Scorpius looked equally unsure.

"Now we're on to something," said Professor Evariste, leaning forward. "So, what is it you are all so reluctant to tell me? Come, now, out with it."

"We knew someone was messing with the dragons," said Scorpius. "Problem was, we picked the wrong person."

"We thought it was our cousin Louis," said Albus glumly. "We put all the pieces together and thought that it was him."

"We knew that he was - well -" stuttered Rose, unable to push the words out.

"Out with it," ordered Professor Evariste. "If it's important, then I must know."

"He was taking hegolith," said Scorpius, the least reluctant to speak about it. "We knew it was affecting him, and we thought he was feeding into the dragons."

At that, Professor Evariste's eyebrows shot up. "Feeding into the dragons?" he said. "Now, really?"

"But it was actually Tobias Krimp," said Rose, "and we were wrong about Louis."

"Now, tell me how Tobias got you into the forest."

So Rose recounted the events of the previous day, starting with the planned intervention. She was vague about the location of the discussion, knowing that they were not supposed to be snooping around the castle like that, and it was certainly not permissible to be in a storage area.

"We planned to confront him about it during lunch," said Rose, "so when I saw Marco it out the window, I thought I had plenty of time."

"I thought Marco found you in the woods?" said Professor Evariste.

"Yes," said Rose, "but I thought I saw him. When I went down, though, it turned out to be Tobias."

The memory had begun to haunt her. She remembered how casually he had stood there, chewing his clumps of hegolith. How casually he had flicked his wand at her, leaving her devoid of her own will. How it had all occurred...

Talking about, it didn't lessen the weight on her chest. As she went through the events, she found that it became gradually harder to find the proper words. When she came to the moment where she had uttered Trijuska, she found the scene ineffable.

"Drink some more tea," said Professor Evariste softly.

Rose didn't realize that her hands were shaking until she reached for her mug of tea. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Scorpius and Albus exchange a glance. They must've been worrying about her, how she was dealing with at all.

Professor Evariste sighed. "Albus, could you please tell us what happens next? I believe you were there at that point."

"Well, we heard Rose talking to Contessa," he said, "but I couldn't make out what she was saying until she said Trijuska. I recognized it from last year."

"From your adventures with Dmitri Romolov and Alistair Trimble?" said Professor Evariste. "I believe you mentioned it last year."

"It's on a necklace that Rafael wore," said Albus, "and it was then passed onto Dmitri. Alistair has the same one."

"A connection," murmured Professor Evariste. "How... interesting."

"I rolled the orb to Rose," said Scorpius. "The little globe thing. Lorcan had blown it full of Peruvian Darkness Powder."

Rose ignored the rest of the conversation. A sudden wave of exhaustion had hit her, and she remembered that her sleep had been anything but peaceful.

The rest of her day was stressful, to say the least. An owl found Rose and Albus on their way to the Gryffindor common room after leaving Professor Evariste's office.

"It's from Professor McGonagall," said Albus nervously as he opened the letter. "She says to come her office immediately."

Swallowing hard, Rose nodded. She had only been to the headmistress' office once before, with James and Professor Evariste. It was an anxious memory, to say the least.

When they reached the owl statue, however, Rose and Albus found a group already assembled. Lorcan, Lysander, and James were leaning against the wall, apparently waiting for the same thing as she and Albus were. When they saw Rose, they straightened.

"Good to see you're still alive," said James lightly. "How was the night in the hospital wing?"

"Lovely," lied Rose. "Are you all waiting for Professor McGonagall?"

Lorcan nodded as Lysander said, "Her owl came to find us."

"Us too," said Albus. "Are we supposed to go up, or...?" He had no way to finish the sentence.

"We don't know the password," replied Lysander. "Besides, she sent for us. One we're needed, she'll call us up."

Scorpius rounded the corner, looking I'm surprised to see a group already assembled.

"Waiting for McGonagall?" he asked.

"How did you ever guess?" muttered James.

"Don't start now," said Rose, "not with things going so well. Can't you two just not talk or something?"

Scorpius' eyebrows shot up." Someone missed her beauty sleep," he muttered.

For a moment, it looks like James was going to say something. Then he jammed his mouth shut, his eyebrows coming together angrily.

At that moment, the stone owl spread its wings. As it did, it swiveled to reveal a tall, twisted staircase. Voices echoed down the stairwell, gradually becoming clearer.

"Tell them they all have detention," said one descending voice. "That'll shut them up."

"I still say the Weasley girl is in danger," said another - Rose recognized it as Professor Slughorn's voice.

"I think we should all be thankful that the year is coming to an end," said Professor McGonagall in her unmistakably clear voice. "Next year, all of this will be but a memory."

The four heads of houses appeared, followed directly by Professor McGonagall. All of them looked surprised to see the waiting students, except Professors McGonagall and Evariste.

"I will await your return to make announcements to the common room," said Professor Evariste casually. "Your cousins have reported your survival, but the other Gryffindors are eagerly awaiting your return."

Rose nodded, and Professor Evariste led Professor Slughorn away.

Professor McGonagall sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "All of you, follow me, please," she said, then turned and went back up the staircase.

Scorpius and Albus exchanged a nervous look. No one moved for a moment, then Lysander took the first step. The others followed behind him.

For the second time, Rose was too preoccupied to look at the headmistress' office in full detail. The dominating feature was a large collection of moving portraits that hung around the room. Rose scanned the walls, recognizing pictures from chocolate frog cards and her own readings.

"Welcome!" cried one of the former headmasters, a balding man with an overbearing smile. "Too good to see you all."

The other portraits began to give their own words of welcome. They only ceased upon Professor McGonagall's sitting.

"I will try to make this short," she told the students. "You all must be quite weary. I have been told of your adventures by Marco the Rider and Professor Evariste. Miss Weasley, I am very glad to see that you are well."

"Thank you, Professor," said Rose quietly.

"The rest of you shall receive no punishment for venturing into the Forbidden Forest," continued Professor McGonagall. "You were with an adult and had a good reason to... worry."

"Professor," said Rose, "is Maria going to be all right?"

Professor McGonagall lowered her eyes. "Maria will live," she said, "but she may be in St. Mungo's for quite some time."

"What about what about Tobias?" said James. "What'll happen to him?"

"He has been taken to St. Mungo's as well," replied Professor McGonagall, "and is currently residing in the ward for the criminally insane."

Rose swallowed, fighting back a sudden wave of tears. She had grown to like Tobias, and part of her was still in disbelief about what occurred.

"Good," said James with a dirty look. "I hope he rots there."

"James!" said Rose warningly.

"It's all right," said Professor McGonagall, "I understand how difficult this must be for all of you. Mr. Krimp will probably remain in St. Mungo's for quite some time."

James looked satisfied with this, but it only made Rose feel worse. She had never before felt so wholly responsible for the demise of someone else's life.

Professor McGonagall went through the motions, thanking them all for their service to the school. Rose nodded mutely, her mind surprisingly blank. She felt nothing as Professor McGonagall patted her on the shoulder before dismissing them all.

Scorpius put his hand on Rose's arm when they reached the bottom of the staircase. "Are you all right?" he asked softly.

Before Rose could respond, James was there, wand drawn.

"Get your hand off of her," he growled.

Something inside of Rose snapped. She felt color rush to her face, angry color. She went from feeling nothing to feeling every particle in the air. She was on fire.

"Stop! she screamed, "James Sirius Potter, you stop this right now!"

James took an automatic step back, clearly confused.

"I am _sick_ of this behavior!" continued Rose angrily. "You are _constantly_ causing problems, and honestly, I have no _time_ for it anymore! I want to go and sleep, but will I? No! _First_, I had to go and deal with the common room full of people _chattering_ at me!"

She was aware of hot tears streaming down her face, but she made no move to brush them aside.

"You have no _idea_ what I'm feeling right now, James! But none of that matters, so long as _you_ get what _you_ want around and try to scare off someone who is at least _trying_ to understand!"

James clenched his jaw, but his eyes were hurt. Rose knew that he was not as brave as he seemed.

"I didn't mean to hurt you, Rose," he said softly. "Really, I didn't. I'm sorry."

Rose his breathing had become labored and hard. She tried to slow it to no avail. Before she could control herself, she began sobbing.

"I don't understand," she sobbed as someone's arms - she didn't care whose – wrapped around her. "I don't _understand!_"

"None of us do," said Lysander from nearby. "But we're here for you, Rose. We'll help you figure it out."

And for the moment, it was enough.


	23. Chapter 23

Rose refused to take any time off of classes. Head held high, she walked the corridors flanked by Albus and James on Monday morning.

The reactions to her presence were mixed. Some of the Slytherin glared at her, and she wondered which ones of them knew the truth. For of course, there had to be more. If the Adderhead was who she thought it was, Tobias had certainly not been alone.

Out of the bustle of Hogwarts came many surprises for Rose's last month in school. The first took the shape of two familiar faces.

"Gemma! Genna!"

The twins looked up from the library table, both wearing matching grins. Rose immediately sent her sack of books down and rushed to the table.

"Rose!"

"What a surprise."

"Well, not really -"

"-if we're being honest -"

"- which, to you of course we are."

"I miss the two of you," said Rose warmly. "I haven't seen you since -"

"King's Cross."

"We know."

"We've been -"

"- busy."

"Yes. Busy."

Gemma leveled a playful glare at Rose. "You have hardly made good use of the journal we left you."

The Gemini's journal had been shoved to the farthest corner of Rose's mind. She felt an overwhelming surge of guilt.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I was just -"

"Busy."

"We understand."

"But we can only help us much as you let us,"

That made a bit too much sense for Rose's liking.

"I'll be better from now on," she promised. "Am I allowed to ask where you been?"

The twins smiled mysteriously. "Among our own kind," said Genna, "and then some."

Rose hardly expected a straight answer. She wondered what the response meant - were there more Gemini out there somewhere? It was mind boggling thought that she soon regretted.

"We're actually here to say goodbye for the summer," said Gemma.

Rose's heart sank. "You're always coming to say goodbye," she complained. "You haven't even met the twins yet."

"We've seen them," Gemma pointed out, "and that's hardly the point."

"What is the point, sister?"

"We're off."

"Ah, yes. There is that."

"We'll be back," Gemma reassured Rose, "but you may not see us for some time."

"But -"

"No buts, Rose. This is the way it must be."

Rose huffed. "Fine," she said, "but could you at least tell me something?"

"Of course."

She was suddenly shy. Looking down, she said, "Did I... do the right thing?"

Gemma looked at Rose with an almost motherly gaze, one that looked out of place in such a young girl's face. "Of course you did," she said softly. "We picked your side for a reason. You're doing just fine."

The words gave Rose chills. What they mean, they picked her side? What was the other side? Not what, but who?

"But regardless," said Gemma, "we ought to be leaving. It was good to see you, Rose."

"We'll be in touch," said Gemma, "so keep that journal."

"And take good care of our Mina,"

Rose remained seated at as the Gemini rose as one and strode from the room, their matching blue robes trailing behind them. She remained at the table for a long time. Madam Abbott eventually appeared - where did she go when the Gemini were there? - and asked if Rose was alright.

"I'm fine," said Rose, rising. "I should be going, though."

Her feet took her through the empty corridors. Most of the students were packing for the impending train ride. When she thought about it, Rose could not remember taking her final exams, but Albus reassured her that she had.

She soon found herself in front of the door to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Curious, she entered.

The scene was an altogether different one than that which she had seen in previous visits. It was nothing more than a plain bathroom, save for the two girls sitting on boxes in front of the sinks.

"I told you she'd come," said Riss sourly. "Here to gloat, Rose?"

"Don't be like that," said Mindel, a frown coloring her fair face with sadness. "She did what she had to do. As did we."

"Were closed," explained Riss bitterly. "Going underground for next year, no thanks to you."

"I had nothing to do with this," said Rose indignantly. "Don't be ridiculous."

"Ridiculous," spat Riss, "ridiculous letting one person ruin a life's work."

"She means Tobias," said Mindel quickly. "When everything came into light, there were some... er... questions. Inquiries to be made."

"And they led back to you," concluded Rose. "I see. How is that my fault?

"It's not," said Mendel, "really, it's not. Riss is just a bit frustrated."

"That's an understatement," muttered Riss.

"I'll be going, then," said Rose stiffly. "I can see when I'm not wanted."

Ignoring Mindel's protestations, Rose left the former home of Enchanting Enhancements.

There was somewhere she knew she still had to go, somewhere she had been avoiding ever since the day Tobias put the Imperious Curse on her. She mentally braced herself before pushing the doors open to the entrance hall. She had to go visit Marco.

It had been a strange month without him. He had come to the Gryffindor Tower one day to see her, but as soon as Tia Marsh came up to the dormitory to tell Rose she had a visitor, Rose's stomach had become all tied in knots. She didn't want to hear what Marco had to say, because she knew what words would come out of his mouth. She knew the Riders had to leave, and deep in her gut, she knew it was her fault.

Albus and Scorpius, the only two she had confided this knowledge in, had told her that she was wrong.

"This is all Tobias' fault, not yours," insisted Albus as Rose curled her legs up in a chair by the fire one night. "You can't keep on blaming yourself."

"I still feel guilty," murmured Rose, letting her eyes bore into the flames. Somehow, she knew that all of the problems circulated around one factor: her. Hadn't Tobias said as much?

Now she had to find the courage to face the Rider that she had grown closest to over the past year. After spending so much of her time and energy pushing him out of her mind, Rose found it difficult to take the steps down the hill that would carry her to him.

She found herself tearing up at the sight of Marco, sitting alone before his fire. His hands were fully emerged in the flames, molding and reshaping the glass he held. Rose approached him slowly, tentatively, not wanting to disrupt his creative process. She knew that he would not even be aware of her presence until he had finished his piece.

Rose sat on the log beside him, easing herself down slowly as to not shake the log where they both now sat. Marco's eyes flickered from the fire briefly, touching for a moment on Rose's face, but then they returned to his work.

"Just a few more minutes," he muttered, seemingly to himself, but Rose knew that he was addressing her. And sure enough, after Rose had finished waiting for a few minutes, Marco drew his newest glass dragon out of the flames.

"She's beautiful," murmured Rose. "It's Contessa, isn't it?"

Marco tapped the head of the delicate dragon with the tip of his wand. Instantly, the miniature Contessa spread her wings and took off into the sky. She circled above the fire, staying away from its dangerous licking flames that threatened to destroy her.

"I've missed you, young Rose," said Marco softly, watching Contessa fly around. "Why have you not come to see me?"

"I feel responsible for everything that happened, I suppose," said Rose, her voice equally as low. "I mean, if I hadn't—I probably could have—"

"Child, you must not blame yourself for the actions of others," said Marco. "Tobias Krimp made his decisions, and you made yours. Your decisions saved Deasia's life, as well as the lives of many others. Why would you blame yourself for the rest?"

"I don't know," admitted Rose. "Marco, everything's been so… so strange since that day with Tobias. I don't know why I didn't come to see you—why I refused to see you. You were only trying to make sure I was alright."

Marco looked to Rose and smiled softly. "All is forgiven," he said simply. "We do have a bit of catching up to do, however. "

There was suddenly a multitude of questions on the tip of Rose's tongue, questions and wonderings that she had been repressing. Before she could let loose the torrent of inquiries, however, Marco began to fill her in on the events of the past month.

"Maria remains in St. Mungo's," said Marco, "but she is improving quickly. It takes time, to meld muscles back together, even with magic. Your uncle visits her often, but all they do is fight. I suppose it makes Maria feel a bit better, having someone besides her Healers to scream at.

"The dragons have regained full stability. On Professor McGonagall's request, they remain tethered, but the cages have been removed."

"I reckon Maria was happy to hear about that," said Rose, remembering how vehemently the Rider woman had opposed the use of cages.

"She was, yes. Now, the next topic we must discuss is the Race."

Rose's stomach plummeted, though she already knew what he was going to say.

"It's been cancelled," she said quickly, "I know. Professor McGonagall told me."

"I am sorry to tell you that you are correct," said Marco. "After everything that has happened—"

"It's fine," said Rose, "really. I completely understand."

And she did. It didn't make accepting the fact that all of her work had been for nothing, but acceptance would come in time.

Rose stayed with Marco for most of the afternoon, watching him create another glass dragon. She hadn't realized just how complicated they were until she watched one be made from start to finish. While Marco was working, she let her mind drift away. It went to a place where there were no more dragons, no more Riders…. A sad place, she realized, but she was safe there.

When Marco had completed his newest dragon and set her free to fly with Contessa's miniature, he turned to Rose.

"We are leaving next week," he said softly. "I will be riding on Contessa instead of Maria. The Healers say she must remain in their care for a bit longer."

"What about your summer exhibition?" asked Rose carefully. "Is that going to be cancelled?"

"Yes, it will be. But don't look so sad, child. We are off on a new adventure next year at a new place of learning."

"Where are you off to?" asked Rose, curious.

"Durmstrang Academy," replied Marco.

Rose just looked at him for a moment, eyes wide in wonder. "You're going to Durmstrang?" she repeated, making sure her ears had not deceived her. "Durmstrang Academy?"

"Yes, child, Durmstrang Academy. Why do you look at me so oddly?"

"I—a friend of mine, he goes there," explained Rose, her heart nearly beating out of her chest. "I've been trying to send him letters all year, but I don't think he's getting them. Could you—"

"Bring your young friend a letter?" said Marco, a smile lighting his face. "Of course, Rose."

It took Rose a long time to figure out what she wanted to say to Dmitri. After a few drafts, she finally settled on a letter.

_Dear Dmitri,_

_We've missed you so much over the course of this year. How have you been? I hope that everything at Durmstrang is going well for you. Hogwarts has been eventful, to say the least. It's weird—even though Alistair is gone, I still feel like he's waiting around every corner. Do you ever feel that way?_

_The man delivering this letter is a friend of mine, Marco. He spent the year at Hogwarts with the other Riders, whom I'm sure you'll get well acquainted with. Even if you never ride one of the dragons, take some time to get to know the Riders. Marco can be trusted with just about anything, so if you're ever in a tough spot, go to him and he will help._

_I'm worried because I haven't heard from you all year. I sent my owl to you right after my birthday, and she never returned. Maybe she never even reached you. I just don't know._

_This letter is hard for me to write. I don't know how to tell you about everything that has happened to me—to us—this year. I continue to remain close to Albus and Scorpius, of course, but I feel like I'm growing closer to the others too. James is pigheaded as ever about Scorpius—he keeps trying to attack him, can you imagine?—but I think we're making some progress._

_Scorpius spent Christmas Vacation with us at the Grange. You'll have to come over and see it sometime, it's just amazing. My cousins weren't all as accepting as we are of him, but like I said, we're making progress._

_It's the end of the year here, and things are finally settling down. Marco can fill you in on all of what happened, there's just too much to put in a letter! Besides, I'm sure your English needs a bit of work after a year away from us. Just remember, you're always welcome back._

_I hope to hear from you soon! _

_Always your friend,_

_Rose_


	24. Chapter 24

"Checkmate."

Rose leaned back against the cushions of the train compartment. "Fine," she said, "I give up. Take the stupid queen."

"King."

"Whatever."

"I feel like we've been on this train all day," groaned Albus, tapping his head against the window. "Why are we not there yet?"

"Homesick?" asked Scorpius.

"I just want to sleep."

"I don't want to go back," said Scorpius quietly. "I like the castle."

"I miss Mum and Dad," said Lorcan openly. "Rose, Hugo will be happy to see you, eh?"

"If he doesn't attack Scorpius first," said Rose, remembering how close the two had grown over Christmas vacation. "I want a nap, though. My room. Some sleep. The Grange."

"Same here," said Lysander. "I still can't believe that the Riders came to Hogwarts."

"It's all in the past now," said Lorcan, not looking up from his current Seers' book that Professor Trelawney had assigned him. "Besides, we have plenty to look forward to, right? With this summer, I mean."

"You're going to spend at _least_ a week with us at the Grange," said Rose firmly, looking at Scorpius. "I don't want to hear any excuses. You can come for my birthday, or the twins'."

"I'll see what I can do," said Scorpius with a grin. "I want to have all of you over at the manor, too, but we'll see what my dad thinks of that."

"You may have a bit more persuading to do," said Albus, laughing. "And that's alright. We have time."

Lysander swept all of the chess pieces back into their velvet bag. Rose looked at it and sighed—the sight still brought back memories of Enchanting Enhancements, Tobias, and Louis.

"So Louis never found out about what we thought, right?" she said, looking around at everyone in the compartment. "No one spilled?"

"I don't even see the bloke," said Scorpius with a shrug. Both twins shook their heads as Albus said, "Nope, not me."

Mina leapt atop the chess board just as Lysander reached forward to grab it. "Oh, you meddlesome little fur ball," he said affectionately. "C'mon, go over to Rose."

Obedient as ever—well, when she felt like being obedient, that it—Mina pounced onto Rose's lap. She purred loudly as Rose pet her head absently.

"I'm almost glad that the year is over," Rose admitted ruefully. "I mean, with everything that happened, won't it be good to get some rest?"

"It'll be restful at _your_ house, at least," said Albus. "Meanwhile, I'll have James with his failing Potions scores and Lily, who just can't _wait_ to get to Hogwarts next year. Can you imagine it? Three Potters at Hogwarts at once? I think the castle might burn down."

"Only the Gryffindor Tower where the three of you will be," said Scorpius with a grin. "I'll be busy hiding in the underground."

"With neither of us having the House Cup," reminded Rose. "I still can't believe they penalized your entire house for what Tobias did!"

"I'm sure plenty of others knew about it," said Scorpius, "so really, it makes sense. I hardly mind. What would you do with the House Cup, anyway?"

"Ask a Ravenclaw!" said Albus. "Maybe Arianna Burrow would have some sort of clue."

"I still think they're an adorable couple," said Rose. "She and Louis, I mean."

"Now that we know he's not out to kill you," said Lysander casually. "Yes, they're simply adorable."

It was dark when they reached the station. Rose picked up Mina and brought her out of the train—Albus had agreed to grab her trunk and put it with his so Rose didn't lose Mina in the crowd. Once Albus and Scorpius were by her side, however, Rose found herself reluctant to leave.

"Please write," she pleaded with Scorpius. "If I go all summer without hearing from you, I might forget you exist."

"Good luck," said Scorpius with a grin. "I'm unforgettable, remember?"

"You'll be over soon enough," said Albus, patting Scorpius on the shoulder. "Don't you listen to her, now. Enjoy your summer."

"You too," said Scorpius, still smiling. "Well, here goes nothing!"

And with a running start, the three children disappeared into the brick wall before them.

**Waugh! I can't believe that it's OVER, can you? But while one part of the Harry Potter universe comes to a close, an infinite amount of doors open for us as writers and readers of fanfiction. I fully intend to continue with Rose Weasley's story- I am halfway done with Year Three! Feel free to leave me questions, comments, concerns, or ideas you may have. I will update this story with a teaser for Year Three as soon as I can! Until then...go see Deathly Hallows Part 2 again! :D**


	25. Teaser for Year Three

**A/N: Welcome back, everyone! I know it's been **_**ages**_** since I updated, and I promised you a teaser for Year Three, did I not? It's still a work in progress, but I have most of it completed! And let me add, it is my favorite so far, by far! Anyway, here's your snippet, and I hope you enjoy!**

Rose's first thought was that somehow, her pillow had turned into a block of lead. As she slowly came to consciousness, she realized that it was not her pillow at all. For one thing, her bed was not made up of wooden boards littered with Quidditch programs.

Using her elbow to prop herself up, Rose looked around the room. Albus was flopped on his bed, one hand still clutching his wand. He was curled up awkwardly, for the foot of his bed was still covered in textbooks.

The memories began coming back to Rose. She had been doing her summer assignments with Albus and James late into the night, and then... nothing. She realized that she must have fallen asleep.

She checked, and yes- her pillow was One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi.

Groaning, she sat up completely. Someone, probably her aunt, had draped a blanket over her while she slept. It was hardly needed; it was still July, and warm enough to sleep uncovered.

"Wake up, Albus," she said groggily, nudging his sleeping form. "Come on, get up."

Albus Potter moaned and turned on his side. He mumbled something incoherent, waving his hands in Rose's general direction.

"I'm hungry," another voice groaned. A pile of blankets in the corner twitched, then exploded to reveal James Potter. His brown hair was tangled mess that stuck out from his head at all odd angles.

"Let's eat," James continued, running a hand absently through his hair. "Al, get up. I want some breakfast."

It took another 10 minutes and a collection of numerous death threats to finally separate Albus from his bed. He looked at the pile of textbooks with confusion until Rose reminded him of the previous night's activities.

"Why are we getting it done so early?" He asked on the way downstairs. "We have what, another month?"

"Less than that," said Rose, "and Scorpius is already done. Do you really want to spend the end of summer rushing through all of your assignments?"

Albus muttered something about dictators that left Rose pink in the ears. She wasn't trying to be a dictator, but she knew that if she didn't get on the boys about their work, it wouldn't get done until August 31.

Aunt Ginny was waiting for them when they reached the kitchen.

"I knew you'd get these boys up," she said rose. "Breakfast is on the table. Did you three get a lot done last night?"

The boys ran for the dining room while Rose nodded. "Thanks for letting me stay over," she said. "I don't even remember falling asleep."

"I came in to check on you and the three of you had passed out over your books." Aunt Ginny smiled, the expression brightening her lightly lined face. "Go on, now, eat!"

Harry and Lily Potter had beaten James and Albus to the table. Lily was laughing at something her father had said, while James rolled his eyes.

"Your letter won't arrive for another week or so," said Albus as Rose sat down. "No need to get so antsy."

"Your sister's lucky she's going to school at all," said Uncle Harry, giving Lily a serious look. "After that stunt you pulled last September, your mother and I considered sending you to a Muggle school."

"You wouldn't," said Lily lightly. "I have too many outbursts. The Ministry would have had to get involved."

It was the truth; Lily, though still wandless, had experienced many magical outbursts characteristic of young untrained witches and wizards. She wouldn't make it through a week as a Muggle, or non-magical, school without losing control.

"Don't speak to your father that way," said Aunt Ginny as she came to sit with her family. "Speaking of which, dear, there's an owl here for you."

"For me?" cried Lily, popping up out of her seat.

"No, dear, for your father. Harry, it's in the kitchen."

Albus looked to Rose and shrugged. There was nothing new about Harry receiving an unexpected owl. The Potters' home was practically a perch for all sorts of assorted winged creatures.

Harry reentered the room as Rose was serving herself eggs. He handed the letter to Ginny silently, an odd expression in his eyes.

"But isn't that - -" began Ginny, then she stopped herself. "I mean, Harry - - he's - - she's - -"

"I should go," replied Harry, apparently making sense of Ginny's fragmented speech. "Kids, care to take a trip with me?"

"Where to?" asked Lily, already standing.

"Your cousins', of course."

James, Albus, and Rose stood as Harry reached out to them.

"Now, said Harry, "we'll be going via side-along Apparition. Everybody hold on tight!"

Rose grabbed Albus' hand before realizing what was happening. By the time it occurred to her that it was odd, Apparating across the Grange, she was staring an unfamiliar white door.

"What?" cried Albus and James as one.

"You'll be visiting with Jane and Liam for a bit," said Harry calmly. "Lily, please - - Rose?" He regarded her with confusion.

"Hi," she said meekly. "Sorry, I... er..."

"I didn't even realize you were here," muttered Harry, shaking his head. "All right, then, no time to go back. Rose, you're going to meet your... well... cousin in law twice removed I believe."

"Who?"

Albus sighed, staring at the door. "Rose, welcome to the Dursleys'."


End file.
